On Thursday, 06.03.2008, Werder Bremen will take on Glasgow Rangers in the round of the last 16 clubs in the UEFA Cup (live on WERDER.TV). Manager Walter Smith’s side are currently four points clear of arch rivals Glasgow Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premier League, and that takes top priority above all else for Rangers fans.
And that includes European competition! With the league title having been convincingly won by their local rivals Celtic in the last two seasons, the team, the fans and the trainer are all eager to see their club win back the title of Scottish champions.
Glasgow Rangers are World Record holders so far as national championships are concerned with 51 under their belt. In addition to the championship, Glasgow’s ‘Blues’ have also won 31 Scottish Cups and 24 League Cups. Once again this season, Smith’s men have made it to the League Cup final and are still in with a shot of winning the Scottish Cup.
On the international front, Rangers have merely one Cup Winners Cup success to their name - and that triumph was a long time ago. Back in 1972, the Scots beat Dynamo Moscow 3:2 in the final.
This season Rangers started their Champions League group stage campaign with a 0:0 draw against Barcelona and followed that up with wins over Stuttgart (2:1) and Lyon (0:3) but three defeats in the final three group games saw them slip back to third in Group E. To rub salt into Rangers wounds, bitter rivals Celtic made the leap into the Champions League knock-out stage. That alone should be motivation enough for Walter Smith’s side as they take on a side in the ferociously envied ‘Green-and-White’.