Antonio Conte talks up Rangers and Ibrox ahead of Tottenham friendly

It may only be a friendly but Antonio Conte is expecting a big game atmosphere when his Tottenham side face Rangers at Ibrox on Saturday.

The Italian tactician formed a high opinion of Giovanni van Bronckhort's men after watching their performances during last season's run to the Europa League final.

He was also impressed with Rangers' 3-1 victory over Premier League rivals West Ham in midweek and predicted a stern challenge for his side in the pre-season encounter.

"It’s a big game, and I’m sure the atmosphere will be amazing," Conte told Spurs Youtube Channel:

"When you play away against Rangers or against Celtic it’s always very difficult because you play in an amazing atmosphere, but it is a good test for us and we’re talking about a very good team.

“They lost the final of the Europa League last season, and in their last friendly game they beat West Ham 3-1.”

Spurs forward Lucas Moura is also expecting a tough match as he talked up the prospect of a competitive 90 minutes.

He said: “This is another big test for us, a big team.

Antonio Conte, the Tottenham Hotspur manager, is expecting a difficult pre-season match against Rangers at Ibrox. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

“I know a little bit of the rivalry between England and Scotland, so it will be interesting!

“The most important thing is to be ready; it doesn’t matter if it’s a pre-season game, we need to go there and do our jobs, do our best and the best way to prepare for the season is to play to win the game and that’s what we’re going to do.

"I’m sure for Rangers it’s a good opportunity as well.

"They played in the Europa League Final so it’s a good game for us, an interesting game. Let’s do our best.”

The sides will compete for the Walter Tull Memorial Cup - awarded in memory of Britain’s iconic first black outfield player who had links to both clubs during a playing career cut short by his death in battle during World War One.

It was first awarded when the two sides last met during a pre-season friendly in 2004 and will be presented to the winning captain after the game by Jermain Defoe – another former player of both clubs.

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