Giovanni van Bronckhorst Rangers Q+A: Ryan Kent 'can be the difference' and Ibrox can 'turn the tie'

If you compare it to Saturday, Ryan Kent is in the squad, Fashion Sakala is also available. Those two are coming into the squad.

Could Kent and Alfredo Morelos start?

Ryan did some part of the training today so we have to assess tomorrow if he’s fit enough to start or get minutes. Morelos has been training with us longer and had his first game on Saturday of the season. He is there to take part in the game. Whether that is from the start we will also have to assess but once the whistle goes we will be ready.

How much is riding on this game?

It’s very important. You want to stay in the Champions League for the next round as well to be able to qualify for the group stages. The first game wasn’t the result we wanted, we have a home game tomorrow in which we can change it. That’s what we are capable of and want to do tomorrow. My objective and desire is to be in the Champions League this week.

How important will the atmosphere be?

The fans always have a big role. When we play at home the atmosphere is fantastic, the support of our fans is amazing so I’m sure it will be the same tomorrow. We have to make sure our performance is better than last week because then we can create an atmosphere that will make it very difficult for the opponent which we have shown many times before. We can turn it around with the support of our fans but as I’ve said before, the performance needs to be much better than the away game.

What are the positives you’ve seen so far this season?

We started with two wins in the league which is important. We have quite a big squad with some new additions so it takes time to get used to each other and know one another’s strengths. I can see the development in my players, especially the new ones coming in and adapting to the playing style and teammates, representing a new club. That’s a process that will always happen at the beginning of the season and we just need to make sure that our development and process is winning games.

Will your team have to hit top level to progress?

We have to. I’ve said many times before if you’re playing in Europe you cannot have an off night because that will make the whole tie difficult. The level we reached last week was not the level we normally reach or have to reach to be competitive in this Champions League. Our performance and standard need to be on a high-level tomorrow to get on to the next stage.

How much of a lift is Morelos’ return?

His presence is there for everyone to see, the reception he got from the crowd [on Saturday]. We know his strengths, he is capable of creating chances and making goals. For us, that’s a very positive thing. If you compare it with the last three months of the season we had to play all the games with one striker so we had to adjust our gameplay and players had to adjust to the new positions. It’s always easier when you have strikers in the game and on the bench which we have now, we have lots of competition in all areas of the pitch. That gives me more options. I’m really happy with Alfredo and Antonio [Colak’s] goals on Saturday. We have a lot of creativity now in the team and that will also be needed tomorrow to break the defensive block.

How much encouragement do you take from turning around ties last season in Europe?

We always have confidence no matter who we play at home so the confidence is there. We had most of our ties with the second game at home and had to make up defeats three out of four times in the knockout stages so it's something we are familiar with. You don't want that of course but tomorrow is another chance for us to be the team we can be and I know the players will be there tomorrow with the fans. We will give everything to make sure we go through.

How important is it for the fans to remain patient?

It's important to have the right start. We always want that at home. It's finding the right balance. Of course, we have to score goals but we have to keep organised as it's a team who is very good in transition moments to attack. We are there to push ourselves forward, to create chances and of course, we will try to achieve a good start.

Will Ryan be fit enough to play?

We will see tomorrow. It's very positive to me that he was on the pitch today. We have to assess tomorrow. We still have 24 hours. It's a player who if he's fit to play I will have a lot of thinking on my mind. He can be the difference tomorrow. It all depends on his fitness but he's in the squad and that is a sign that if he's fit we want to use him.

Do you feel it's more natural to play aggresive at Ibrox?

It depends. There are two games in a tie. You don't want to go and play away and give chances away. The set-up we had away was one we are used to away from home but when your performance isn't there... That's what I saw last week. Too many players were not at their best. That makes it really difficult no matter what system you play and that was the big difference last week compared to the campaign last year. Now we play at home and if you are 2-0 down you have to play in a different way because you have to create more chances and score goals. So that's a different mindset to last week.

In your own experience have you recovered from two goals down?

No, I don't think so because I only had one qualification round when I was at Feyenoord when we had a very bad game away from home. The other times I was already in the group stages. As a player, I always qualified for the group stages directly so I don't have experience in that but we played the knockout stages and our goal is still to reach the group stages. We were very disappointed. I have never seen my players more disappointed after a game. We have a chance now to overturn that and make sure we have a different performance. I'm sure we will do so and you will see a different team tomorrow.