Philippe Clement has singled out Benfica wonderkid Joao Neves ahead of the Europa League second leg clash at Ibrox.
The Rangers manager was talking ahead of the hotly anticipated 5:45pm kick-off in Glasgow, with the tie neatly poised after a 2-2 draw in Portugal.
Rangers have already shown they can cut it at this weight level but just how clever can Philippe Clement’s side box when it comes to the Portuguese heavyweights?
The Rangers boss believes in order to do so the club will have to deal with Joao Neves, Benfica’s World Cup winners, and the some £120m worth of talent in their Europa League squad.
Philippe Clement singles out Joao Neves
Philippe Clement was discussing Rangers’ chances against Benfica at Ibrox in a pre-match press conference.
Claiming that defeating Benfica would be a “big surprise” in European football, the manager singled out Joao Neves, who has been linked with a £103m move to Manchester United.
“We’re not naive,” said Clement. “We know that Benfica has a really talented squad with a lot of experience also.
“They have World Cup winners in their team. They have a lot of young, really big talents who will go for a lot of money after this season maybe already. Players like (Joao) Neves for example.
“And other players who played really at a high level already before so we know it would be a really big surprise in all of Europe if we could take out Benfica.
“But we are really hungry to do that.”
Talented Benfica squad set for Europa League battle
Everyone knows the dangers and quality which Benfica possesses, with 2022 Argentine World Cup winning pair Nicholas Otamendi and Angel di Maria at the forefront.
But with other stars like Orkun Kokcu, Arthur Cabral, Rafa Silva, and David Neres also in the squad, Rangers are facing an expensively assembled and talent-strewn side.
Joao Neves however, is regarded as one of the brightest talents in European football and despite his tender age of 19 stood out in the first leg.
Benfica have developed a reputation for being one of the best in the business for nurturing young talent having banked north of £850m in transfer fees since the turn of the century.
The young Portuguese international – who has a €120m release clause – is almost certainly set to be the next off the conveyor belt.
It doesn’t get much bigger than a Europa League Round of 32 clash with Benfica at Ibrox and a sell-out crowd in Glasgow is sure to make this a night to remember.
Philippe Clement has also been providing an injury update ahead of the match, with one of the heroes from the Lisbon encounter set to miss out.
