The Ibrox manager addressed the media in Lisbon prior to tonight’s Europa League first-leg matchup between Benfica and the last 16.
Philippe Clement does not offer justifications. The Rangers are practically without their first-choice frontline due to a debilitating injury list.
The Ibrox boss is still convinced, though. Clement is confident that his team can overcome the odds and hand Benfica their first-ever home loss in the Europa League in Lisbon. The Giants are definitely the underdogs tonight, but they are competing on all fronts as they attempt a historic Treble, or Quadruple.
Benfica is probably the toughest opponent Clement has faced since taking over as Rangers manager, but the Belgian doesn’t see tonight’s first-leg match in the round of 16 as a diversion from their goals at home. Rather, he desires that his players rise to the occasion and close the season as historical figures. Football Scotland looks at the top seven topics of discussion from the pre-game press conference yesterday night.
The magnitude of the task
“Very large. However, that is also thrilling for us. For the Rangers, there aren’t many games where you have nothing to lose. Usually, you are the favourite; there are huge expectations, and you have to win, dominate, and score a lot of goals. You must use common sense in this situation. They have more than twice as much money as you do, but we have very high goals. We’re going to put in a tonne of effort to qualify and win both of the games. We are also firmly persuaded that there are other factors at play besides money and budget, and that we will demonstrate our abilities and put in a lot of effort in the two games.”
Update on injuries
Not what I had hoped for. We’ll be missing four wingers tomorrow, as you are undoubtedly aware. That makes four wingers absent. Ross perhaps as well. We’ll see. He warmed up today, although he worked out alone rather than with the squad. We’ll check tomorrow to see if he’s available to play a few minutes. Four more wingers are not available. I currently have five wingers, and it’s not good that maybe four of them are injured. Kieran Dowell and Todd Cantwell are two playmakers we miss, and Danilo is one striker we miss. We will be missing a great deal of offensive quality tomorrow. It’s about coming up with different answers. It presents a challenge. As a coach, you must assess whether you continue with the same approach or make changes. I have to consider that. Not any longer, but I still needed to discuss with my staff how to play against a team like Benfica and what to do in this particular circumstance. We came to certain conclusions about it, and tomorrow we will check in with Ross to see if he is available and for how long. We should discuss that with our medical staff.
Do injuries alter how you approach the game?
Yes, in any other case, we would have added more players. I have to decide whether to alter the current system or assign players to positions they are less accustomed to. That’s the choice you need to make. Everyone knows that the starting eleven would be different if everyone was fit.”
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