Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has detailed a measure taken on Wednesday to protect the Ibrox pitch ahead of the Europa League clash against Braga, as captured by RangersTV.
The Portuguese club are in Glasgow for the first leg of the competition’s Round of 32, but their pre-match session took place at the Hummel Training Centre, rather than at Ibrox.
Visiting teams are traditionally allowed access to the stadium and pitch prior to the game, but amid ongoing concerns over the quality of the surface, the decision was taken to keep Braga away.
“I think for both clubs and for both sets of players we want to protect the pitch and have it in the best possible shape it can be in” said Gerrard, as captured by RangersTV.
“I don’t think a training session in the rain tonight [Wednesday] would help that situation. We had a very similar situation in Vienna [against Rapid] when we were told to keep off the pitch last year.
“So, it’s not a tactic from us. If the pitch was in great condition we’d more than welcome Braga to go and use it…but it’s not a good idea for both clubs for someone to train on it tonight, because of the game on it at the weekend.”
Verdict
It’s less than ideal for Braga to have to stay away from the ground in the build-up to the game, and although it’s clearly for practical reasons rather than mind games, perhaps that may ensure the visitors take longer to settle into tonight’s game.
The surface has been in poor condition since the return for the winter break, with wretched weather conditions only exacerbating existing problems.
Clearly, after a rare postponement on Saturday, a lot of work was done to ensure the rearranged Premiership clash with Livingston went ahead on Sunday afternoon, and the pitch is still feeling the effects.
Fans of both clubs will be hoping it holds for this exciting European tie, though, so that the football can flow under the lights at Ibrox.
Ahead of the game, why not check out our Preview over on our Rangers News YouTube channel.
