No sinister motive behind Rangers asking Braga not to train on Ibrox pitch

Braga will have to wait until Thursday night to get their first glimpse of Ibrox after Rangers requested they did not train on a pitch that has taken a beating from the Scottish elements in recent weeks.

The Ibrox pitch has taken a hammering from the recent inclement weather

The Light Blues' weekend clash with Livingston was pushed back 24 hours to Sunday after it was rained off the day before and club bosses are keen to protect it from further damage.

Instead, Braga will be allowed to stage their final preparations at the hosts' Hummel Training Centre - but Gerrard insists there is no sinister motive behind the venue swap.

"For both teams, we want to have the pitch at Ibrox in the best shape it can be in," he said.

"It's not a tactic from us. If the pitch was in great condition we'd be more than happy for Braga to use it."

Braga arrive as the form team in Portugal having won eight out of nine games under new boss Ruben Amorim.