'They will come for us' - Rangers told to be ready for 'aggressive version'

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has warned his players to be prepared for an ‘aggressive version’ of Brondby in Thursday night’s pivotal Europa League match in Denmark.

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard (left) has predicted that the Brondby side coached by Niels Frederiksen (right) will 'come for' the Scottish champions in Denmark on Thursday. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

Gerrard’s former Liverpool team-mate and close friend Daniel Agger, a former Brondby player, has told the Ibrox boss the Scottish champions will face one of the most intimidating atmospheres in football as they bid to advance their prospects of reaching the knockout phase of the tournament.

Since losing 2-0 to Rangers in Glasgow a fortnight ago, Brondby have won three domestic fixtures on the spin - including a derby triumph against FC Copenhagen.

Defeat on Thursday would effectively end Brondby’s hopes of further progress in the Europa League and Gerrard expects to see that reflected in the way the Danish champions approach the game.

“We realise this is going to be a different environment,” said Gerrard. “It’s going to be a full house.

“I spoke to Daniel Agger about the Brondby support, how lively they’re going to be and how they’re going to be up for this game. So it’s going to be a real tricky tie from that point of view.

“Brondby are in a must-win situation, where they lie in the group after the result at Ibrox. They’ve almost got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

“So I think they’ll go for the game, they’ll be aggressive – and they’ll come for us. So we have to take a lot into consideration in our preparation, to make sure we’re ready for whatever comes our way.

“We’ve seen a big improvement domestically in terms of Brondby’s results. You can see them moving up their league table and when that happens, it breeds confidence and belief.

“For us, you try to put yourself in their camp and think: ‘What are they thinking? What does the game mean to them? How is their coach going to approach it?’

“I think he’s in a must win situation so we expect the best version of Brondby, the most aggressive version of Brondby.

“With their support and a full house, and if Daniel Agger is telling me the truth and it’s one of the best atmospheres in the world, we have to be ready for a really fascinating challenge.”

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