Rangers head coach Danny Röhl believes his team have a “great opportunity” to take another step forward in their development as they prepare to face Hungarian champions Ferencvárosi in a pivotal UEFA Europa League clash in Budapest tonight.
Speaking ahead of the match, Röhl stressed that while recent performances have shown clear progress, the demands of European competition require absolute focus and maturity.
“We know we have to win this game today,” he said.
“We face a strong opponent – they’ve taken a lot of points already – but we want to continue our process not just in the league, but also in Europe.
“Hopefully we have a good performance from our group.
“We have to be smart, understand the game, and show good management.
“The atmosphere will be on fire here, and for us it’s about sticking to our idea. If we can do that, we have a good chance to take something.”
Röhl confirmed two changes to the side that defeated Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Saturday, with captain James Tavernier and forward Danilo coming into the starting XI to replace the suspended Mohamed Diomande and injured Nedim Bajrami.
“It’s a little bit about some tactical parts – how we want to press and how we want to build up,” he explained.
“It’s not so many changes, just two, but let’s see how it works.
“We have a fantastic bench today which gives us a lot of opportunities, especially in attack.
“Dujon [Sterling] is back, he will get some minutes too.
“That’s crucial. The aim is to come into the game well and finish strongly.”
Röhl believes his squad are beginning to show increasing confidence after a difficult opening period to the season, but insists the challenge now is to maintain that trajectory.
“I feel everything is going in the right direction at the moment,” he said.
“But football is about the next game and the next game after that.
“We have to deliver and put everything on the pitch.
“My group is hungry for the first win in Europe, and today is a good opportunity – not an easy one, but a great opportunity.”
The German head coach also outlined the type of challenge he expects from ex-Celtic forward Robbie Keane’s Ferencvárosi side, who remain unbeaten in the league phase.
“They’re a physical team with two strikers who are very dangerous in transition moments,” Röhl noted.
“They’re well organised, very aggressive, with a lot of man-to-man pressing.
“We have to break them down in possession, but just as importantly we must have a well-organised defensive performance.
“Away in Europe, a clean sheet is the biggest part. From that point, you can really hurt them.”