Tonights team.

[elderslieblue 0]

Alexander

 

Broadfoot Cuellar Weir Papac

 

Hemdani Novo Davis Dailly Whittaker Darchville

 

 

 

[Trailio 0]

it's all we have to be honest. You might see Cousin or Buffel off the bench later but thats about it.

[craig 5,199]

I dont think that is such a bad team.

 

Novo on right wing will inject some pace into the team and some relief for the defence. Whittaker will be solid on the lft and help out Papac.

 

And the midfield 3 of Hemdani, Dailly and Davis should complement each other with Hemdani and Dailly holding and letting Davis get forward.

 

Defence picks itself and Alexander is an able deputy

[Guest WinchesterGer]

I agree with Craig, it's not a bad team.....but I am worried about the game, I think the Italians will be stronger in midfield. Alexander is a very good replacement.

[craig 5,199]

I agree with Craig, it's not a bad team.....but I am worried about the game, I think the Italians will be stronger in midfield. Alexander is a very good replacement.

 

Welcome aboard my friend !

 

The midfield is where it will be won and lost IMO - we are most definitely weakened (in my opinion more so by the absence of Thomson than Fergie - although Fergie will be a big loss too).

 

But I also think the central midfield 3 we have are decent (if Hemdani can pick up his game) enough to stop Fiorentina from playing free-flowing football.

 

This game can go either way, I think it could come down to who gets the breaks.

[pete 2,499]

According to Jan Wouters they seemingly play with 3 up front and if we can snuff out Fabio Liverani then we have a chance.

FORMER Rangers coach Jan Wouters has told Rangers to snuff out the threat of Fabio Liverani tonight and they could be on their way to the UIEFA Cup Final.

 

Wouters has warned that the Light Blues will get it tough against Fiorentina, who stunned PSV by winning 2-0 in the Philips stadium to go through 3-1 on aggregate.

 

And he has picked out central midfielder Liverani as the man to watch at Ibrox tonight.

 

Fabio Liverani battles with PSV's Ibrahim AffelayThe Dutchman says that Fiorentina are not a typical Italian side because of the way they play and believes Rangers will have to produce top performances to get past them.

 

Wouters, however, has indicated that the Viola can be vulnerable in wide areas and he advises that Rangers could catch them out if they can stretch them - especially in tonight's semi-final first leg.

 

PSV did just that when they drew 1-1 with Fiorentina in the Artemio Franchi.

 

Wide boys Ibrahim Affelay and Jefferson Farfan enjoyed a lot of success in Florence but, significantly, both players missed the return leg in Eindhoven.

 

Wouters said: "Fiorentina are not like most Italian teams because they tend to play with three up front - Santana, Pazzini and Mutu.

 

"They are a very mature team with a lot of experience so they have a good mentality for this type of match.

 

"In saying that, we did really well in the first leg against them. In fact we should have won the game because we had the better chances.

 

"Affelay and Farfan caused them a lot of problems with their trickery on the wings so it was a major blow to us when we lost both of them for the second game.

 

"Farfan picked up a yellow card which meant a suspension while Affelay was injured in the game and was unable to play.

 

"That was a major disadvantage to us because they had been our most effective players in the first leg.Fiorentina's Pazzini and Liverani

 

"In saying that, Fiorentina played really well in the second leg and we can have few complaints, I'm afraid."

 

Unlike their heavyweight counterparts in Italy - Inter, Juventus, AC Milan and Roma - Fiorentina are not a side littered with famous names.

 

Wouters, however, says Rangers fans should not be fooled by that. He rates them as an excellent outfit

 

He said: "They have an excellent midfield. Riccardo Montolivo and Zradavko Kuzmanovic are terrific players.

 

"They are excellent professionals who, like most players in Italy, are very fit.

 

"They are competitive but they can also use the ball well, just like you would hope from your midfield players.

 

"Fabio Liverani is the main man, though. He is the man who makes the play for Fiorentina. Everything starts with him so if Rangers can keep him quiet it will be a big help.

 

"The other aspect is that they are very regimented. If they make a substitution the shape does not change."

[ian1964 10,720]

TBH,it's a strong enough team and if our midfield perform tonight then IMO we have a great chance.Added bonus for me is that i've just found out that the game is on tv over here at work................ya dancer

[pete 2,499]

Getting nervous now. Time for a beer.

[pete 2,499]

All the best guy's!!! :rfc:

[calscot 0]

With all due respect to many of the posters on here, what were you thinking about the line-up?

 

It seemed totally obvious to me, but I was dumbfounded by people expecting changes in formation and bringing the likes of Buffel in to start.

 

It totally makes a mockery of any criticism of Walter Smith whose greatest attribute in my eyes, is that he doesn't pick a team on a whim - or indulge a player in a "chance".

 

Walter obviously plays snooker instead of pool and if you gave him a game of the latter you may go for it pot a few balls but he'd get you with snookers and then clear up with deliberate, precision positioning.

 

He's the manager I now most admire, as he seems to know what he's doing and sticks with the plan, instead of trying to pull rabbits out of hats.

 

PS I kept an eye on Buffel when he came on, and he seemed mostly to jog about with the ball just passing him by. I think he committed more fouls than he had touches.

 

We looked far better with Novo on the right and Davis in the middle. However, with Barry and Thommo back for the next game, I can't see him getting on again.

 

He also seems to have played five or six games this season, which would seem to put paid to the fact we could only play him four more times before incurring a further fee. So what's the deal on this?