If Rangers upcoming trip to the Estádio do Dragão wasn’t poised to be high-profile enough, one on-pitch duel promises to make it a box-office affair.
This is arguably Rangers’ biggest, most glamourous match in close to a decade, with supporters flocking to Portugal to see their heroes in action against the former Champions League winners.
But if the fact the group is so finely poised didn’t make this a must-watch for football fans – the exciting prospect of Alfredo Morelos facing off against Pepe should.
Rangers’ resident firebrand goes up against one of football’s most notorious and wily characters.
Say what you want about Pepe, but the brinksmanship, guile and drama he has brought to the global game over the last decade has been as captivating as it has been infuriating.
The big Portuguese stopper knows how to get under the skin of the opposition and combined with his physical, no-nonsense defending, he is a major asset to any side who fields him.
There’s a reason why he spent ten years at the Bernabeu with Real Madrid.
Morelos, who at 23 is 13 years Pepe’s junior, is another fiery on-pitch character who knows how to get in the face of the opposition.
Too often that has cost Rangers with Morelos bubbling over and reacting to the kind of behaviour synonymous with Pepe. But this season things appear to be different for the Colombian.
He’s lost the reds without losing any of his edge. His performances in the Europa League this season have also been nothing short of remarkable – big, powerful, physical displays, with an end product to boot.
Whatever happens on the pitch this Thursday, the duel between Morelos and Pepe promises to be absolutely central to it.
It’s not like the big Portuguese defender won’t be up for it either.
Pepe says he’s out for revenge [Daily Record] after Rangers earned a point in Portugal back in 2005 to earn a place in the Champions League last 16 and dump Porto out of the competition.
