Michael Beale makes Rangers 'not a secret' admission as he reveals important factors in PSV decider

Rangers manager Michael Beale has pinpointed the facets that he expects to decide his club’s Champions League play-off decider in Eindhoven on Wednesday.

Rangers manager Michael Beale during the 2-0 win over Ross County in Dingwall. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)

Speaking after his side’s wholly comfortable 2-0 win away to Ross County, the Englishman maintained that the Ibrox men can be fearless in their approach to an arduous assignment he refuses to consider puts the onus on them to qualify.

And following the 2-2 first leg draw at Ibrox, Beale has no doubts the Dutch club will have anxieties over what his men can produce in the Philips Stadion. Even if he wishes Rangers were more of an unknown quantity as could never be the case after they eliminated PSV at the same stage of the competition last season.

“They know we can score against them,” the 42-year-old said. “They know our football club and everything about it. We are not a secret…sometimes I wish we were. We obviously played them last year and we obviously put a good face to our club in the way we approached the game, the way that we were, the way we were resilient. We did the same in midweek. I thought it was clear they were a good team but I thought we fought, harrassed, we ran, we pressured them, we gave them big problems in terms of our speed and pressing. It is important we do the same in midweek.

“I think there will be big spaces on the pitch because they will certainly come for us. It is important that when we get our opportunities we take them. I would like to even up the set plays because set plays in a game like that are crucial. The goal we conceded from one [in the first leg] I’m not happy with. So it is important we even that up and score from one in midweek.

“We are building a team, you can see that. It was a different type of performance last week, today was a different type of performance again. We have good variety, the changes we are making are having an impact - in midweek [Abdallah] Sima scores, [Rabbi] Matondo off the bench scoring. Today, Kemar Roofe in his first start in a while scores. There are really good signs in that. Listen, it is a really tough challenge because I think they are a high quality team with a quality coach, but we will go there and give it a right go. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain, I feel.”