What Steven Gerrard had to say ahead of Rangers v Malmo as hosts get selection boost ahead of vital Champions League tie

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is confident his team are ready to deliver a performance which will satisfy the Champions League expectations of a capacity crowd at Ibrox on Tuesday night.

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is confident his players will rise to the challenge of overturning a 2-1 deficit against Malmo in the second leg of their Champions League qualifier at Ibrox on Tuesday night. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

Gerrard’s squad will play in front of a full house at home for the first time in 17 months when they bid to overturn a 2-1 deficit in the second leg of their third qualifying round tie against Malmo.

Rangers go into the match in unconvincing form, having followed up last week’s first leg defeat in Sweden with a 1-0 loss at Dundee United in the Premiership on Saturday.

But Gerrard believes the magnitude of the occasion, as Rangers try to reach the group stage of the Champions League for the first time in 11 years, can ensure they recapture the levels required to progress into the play-off round.

Ianis Hagi is fit and available to return to action for Rangers after missing their last two matches because of inury. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

“I am really excited,” said Gerrard. “We have got really big respect for this Malmo team but it is a game that we are really ready for and I believe there is a performance waiting. I am confident.

“The players know that we didn’t do ourselves justice at the weekend and we have taken responsibility for that. We know we haven’t had a fantastic week in two separate competitions.

“But it was really interesting how the game finished in Malmo, the body language of both sets of players flipped in one moment (when Steven Davis scored for Rangers in the 95th minute).

“We are going to Ibrox in a real positive place. We will pick the league form situation up when we go back into domestic competition. But, for me, this is a game in isolation, we need to go with the correct mentality and the right focus.

“I am not sure the result and performance at Dundee (sic) will have any impact. I know I have got a group of players that will want to react from that.

“We’re really looking forward to a full house. We’ve spoken about it for a long time. Our fans have been patient on the outside, desperate to come in and watch us.

“I’ve called for the (help of the) Ibrox crowd. So I’m in no doubt that they will turn up. They will be full of passion and full of support for the boys. We’ve got to go and give them a performance to match that.

“We only need one performance to light the fire again. In terms of our domestic league, it was our first defeat in 40. Our Ibrox form in Europe has been pretty strong.

“So I expect a good performance. We can flip the mood of the last seven days with a really strong performance and the result we want. We can change it pretty quickly and that’s the opportunity we have.”

Gerrard is boosted by the return from injury of Romanian international playmaker Ianis Hagi, who has missed the last two games, while he can look to Alfredo Morelos and Fashion Sakala for the firepower required up front.

“In the first leg, we weren’t too satisfied with the options we had throughout the squad,” said Gerrard.

“We put a strong team out but in terms of experienced options that we could throw at the game, we were pretty limited for different reasons. So it’s a really positive update.”

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