Fiorentina

After the last two nights, shall we say, boring UEFA Champions League semi finals, I am hoping for fireworks in tonight's UEFA Cup equivalent.

Scottish side Glasgow Rangers host Italians Fiorentina at Ibrox while Russians, Zenit St Petersburg travel to the Allianz Arena in Germany to face the might of Bayern Munich.

I'll start in Scotland where Rangers go into their biggest European tie in 15 years, with injuries and suspensions taking their toll on the would be starting line up.

Back in 1993, Rangers went within inches of reaching their first European Cup Final, in what was an early edition of the UEFA Champions League. Marseille's (yes, they were done for match fixing) all star line up pipped them to the final, despite Rangers remaining unbeaten, and went on to beat AC Milan.

This time around Rangers are without their die hard Captain Barry Ferguson due to suspension. They will also be missing Kevin Thomson (suspended), Lee McCulloch, Chris Burke, Steven Naismith, Charlie Adam as well as inspirational keeper Alan McGregor, all through injury!

To say Rangers will have to dig deep, is an understatement!

Fiorentina must be favourites, but they're doing their best to get their excuses out early.

The pitch, Rangers fighting spirit and hard defenders have all come under the spotlight from Fiorentina, who claim they're still coming to Glasgow for a win.

It will be an exciting encounter and my heart as always, lies with Rangers.

In the nights other tie, Zenit St Petersburg who are on their best ever European run, again travel to Germany. The Russians demolished Bayer Leverkusen 4-1 (4-2 on aggregate) on their last visit and well I'm sure have ago at Bayern Munich tonight.

Bayern scraped past Getafe by the skin of their teeth in the last round, with a 119th minute goal by Luca Toni sending the Germans through on away goals after the tie ended 4-4 on agg.

I expect Bayern vs Zenit to be the tie of the round with Zenit coming out early, looking for that killer blow. We all know as the tie goes on, experience counts!

Just ask Getafe!

So sit back and enjoy the UEFA Cup breathing some life back into this big week of European football. 

When Walter Smith answered David Murray's call to replace Paul Le Guen as Rangers manager a little over a year ago, I'm pretty sure he didn't in his wildest dreams imagine winning a domestic treble, never mind a major European trophy the following season.

Rangers were in a mess!

Club captain Barry Ferguson was on the transfer list, Alan McGregor wanted to leave, Alan Hutton couldn't get a look in and most importantly, the Gers were 20 points behind arch rivals Celtic in the title race.

Paul Le Guen had failed in spectacular fashion and chairman David Murray only wanted one man to replace him.

The rest as they say, is history. Barry Ferguson was reinstated as club Captain, Alan McGregor claimed the number 1 jersey and is arguably the best keeper in Scotland. Alan Hutton became the most exciting Scottish footballer in a generation and Rangers finished just 8 points shy of the Celtic.

Fast forward to this season where Rangers have battled hard on all four fronts.

The blue half of Glasgow won their first trophy in over 2 and a half years when Kris Boyd saved Rangers blushes in an enthralling CIS Insurance Cup Final.

Dundee United led both in normal time and extra time but both times were roped back in by Kris Boyd (arguably Britains premier poacher). Boyd went on to score the winning penalty in the ensuing shootout.

The Rangers forward has had it tough this season with limited opportunities in big games, but no one can argue against his 20 goals in 21(11) starts!

This weekend Rangers travel to Firhill where they will meet division one side, Partick Thistle in a Scottish Cup quarter final replay. A poor 1-1 draw at Ibrox enforced Rangers to add yet another fixture to their busy schedule. In an earlier round Rangers had also needed two attempts to see off Hibernian.

If the Gers can struggle past Partick Thistle (I can only imagine with a weakened team) they will face another first division outfit, St Johnstone in the semi final.

The other semi will be contested between the SPL's Aberdeen and yet another side from outside Scotland's top flight, Queen of the South.

Therefore the light blues may not have another SPL team to face on their way to what I hope will be a domestic treble. My faith in Queen of the South turning over Aberdeen is a little hopefull, I admit. After all, they haven't been this far in the Scottish Cup since, 'A Shot at Glory'.

The SPL has once again proved to be a tale of two sides. Those sides, Rangers and Celtic have both held as well as given up the SPL lead. However, the Gers now seem assured (I touch wood even as I type it) of winning the title.

Celtic are 7 points behind the Gers, with Rangers still having a game in hand. Pity it's not as simple as it sounds!

Rangers must still travel twice to Parkhead where they meet the other half of the Old Firm. These games will have a tremendous bearing on which one wins the league this season.

A single win for Rangers or even avoiding defeat in both games should be more than enough for the blue half of Glasgow to celebrate their first title since the 05/06 season under Alex McLeish.

So with the treble taken care of I turn my attention to the UEFA Cup.

Would I give up the league and Scottish Cup for European glory? The answer can only be yes! Do I think we have too? Well maybe not...

Some Rangers fans may disagree, I know four trophies would be simply, unprecedented! I have never heard of such an achievement...

Last night Rangers calmly waltzed into the UEFA Cup semi final with the look of a side with true European pedigree. A side that believed they would win, when others didn't, a British side who not once lapsed into booting long balls up the park!

I'd never seen a Rangers side perform like they did last night. Holding on to the ball, passing and movement all brilliant. The defending was smart, timely but most of all calm and collected.

For the first time in my 15 years as a true blue, I felt like I supported a great European side! That feeling I will never forget.

So can Rangers win the UEFA Cup? Maybe, maybe not, but by god we'll give it a go. Fiorentina won't fancy Ibrox and as Rangers have proven time and time again this season, don't count them out on the road.

Bayern Munich in the final? Now that would bring about a long standing tradition!

Let's face it, the only thing better than meeting Bayern in the final of the UEFA Cup, will be beating them!

The quadruple? Well it would be quite an achievement really!

Honestly, I don't know where to start. Rangers have beaten Sporting 2-0 in Lisbon and are through to the semi finals of the UEFA Cup!

Last weeks 0-0 first leg result at Ibrox had left this tie wide open, but it was Rangers who took advantage of some slack Portuguese defending to break the hearts of the young Sporting side.

Rangers drafted in Christain Dailly to replace the suspended David Weir in the only change from last weeks first leg. Sporting also made a change to their defence with centre back Periera Gladstone coming into the line up.

The Gers started the game expertly by holding onto the ball and playing some great football. It must be said, the pitch was perfect for it, but good football hadn't really been Rangers forte this season.

In a tight first half both sides had chances but it was Sporting who came closest, striking Alan McGregor's left hand upright!

50% possession for Rangers was telling in how well they were actually playing. I don't remember a European game at home or away this season when they've had that much of the possession. Rangers were playing well.

The light blues didn't start the second half so well however and were penned into their own half for the first 15 minutes. Crucially, Sporting were unable too nick the goal they needed.

Just when it looked like Rangers had decided to sit in for the evening, a long ball bounced over the top of the Sporting defence. Jean Claude Darcheville headed down for Steven Davis who in turn played it back, square across the goal to the Frenchman, who calmly slotted Rangers into the lead!

Rangers were in dreamland! I simply couldn't believe it.

Sporting now needed two goals in the final half hour to topple the men from Glasgow!

Sporting threw the kitchen sink at Rangers and to be honest, came really close on numerous occasions to that equalizing goal. Funnily enough though, Rangers remained calm throughout, just like a team that new their fate.

That fate was well and truly decided in the final minute. Shortly after the Rangers sub Daniel Cousin had a good chance saved, fellow substitute Steven Whittaker won the ball just inside his own half and ran at the Sporting defence.

The young Scot just ran and ran before using Cousins run as a decoy to slip past the last defender and slot home what must surely go down as one of Rangers all time great European goals.

Rangers were in the semi finals!

We have a few problems for the next round as Captain Barry Ferguson picked up a needless booking and will miss the first leg of the semi final at Ibrox. He will be joined on the sidelines by the excellent Kevin Thomson, who also picked up his second yellow card of the latter stages.

Those though are thoughts for another day, Rangers are through!

Apart from Lyon (3-0 win away) earlier this season I don't remember a day when I was more proud of my beloved Glasgow Rangers.

We were class tonight and fully deserved to go through.

In the game Rangers would have been keeping a close eye on, Fiorentina dumped PSV out of the UEFA Cup 2-0 in Eindhoven, with two goals from Adrian Mutu.

Zenit St Petersburg crashed to a 1-0 defeat at home to Bayer Leverkusen. The Russians though still comfortably progressed 4-2 on aggregate.

So Rangers have semi final UEFA Cup action at Ibrox for the first time in 36 years, They welcome Italians Fiorentina to Scotland for the first leg but Rangers surely fear nothing now.

In the immortal words of any true Glaswegian... Mon Then!!!

After a fairly controversial week in the UEFA Champions League, it’s time to look ahead to the business end of the UEFA Cup.

Glasgow Rangers travel to Portugal to meet Sporting Lisbon while Bayern Munich head to Spain with it all to do against Getafe. Zenit St Petersburg, welcome a badly beaten Bayer Leverkusen to Russia while PSV Eindhoven are at home to Fiorentina.

Sporting Lisbon are urging their fans to buy more tickets as Scots start to arrive in the Portuguese capital. The Estadio Jose Alvalade is reportedly, far from sold out, with thousands of Scots making the journey and more than willing to snap up tickets.

The last thing Sporting need is a repeat of the EURO 2008 qualifier between France and Scotland. The Tartan Army took over the ground and cheered Scotland on to a famous 1-0 victory.

Rangers have received a boost for Thursday night’s clash with Carlos Cueller expected to be fit after a bout of flu and Gabonese striker Daniel Cousin, declaring himself fit for selection after recovering from a broken jaw.

Christian Dailly is likely to step in for the suspended David Weir, but the veteran’s absence will still be a major loss to Rangers. However there is a quiet confidence coming from the Rangers camp with the coaching staff and players believing a result is very much possible.

Should Rangers make it through it will be the furthest they have been in the competition for 36 years and with the tie sitting at 0-0, I’m not ruling anything out.

In other games the mighty Bayern Munich meet Getafe and are behind on the away goals ruling, after last weeks shock 1-1 draw in Germany. Getafe have proved to be a thorn in the side of big clubs, with the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid struggling against their La Liga rivals.

I therefore wouldn’t bet against Michael Laudrup’s side taking their place in the semi final line up, come full time tomorrow night, but Bayern will know what they have to do and as we all know, are more than capable of winning in Spain.

PSV are at home to Fiorentina following last weeks 1-1 draw in Italy. The Dutch side must be favourites to progress but this one will be tight. Tottenham Hotspur came to the Philips Stadium in the last round and won 1-0 so there is still a chance for the Viola.

I’m with PSV on this one as I just can’t see Fiorentina winning in Eindhoven. Anyway Rangers have a good European record against the boys in red and white.

The last match is already dead and buried as far as I’m concerned after Zenit’s terrific 4-1 win in Leverkusen last week. Bayer have it all to do in St Petersburg and I can’t imagine a more unfriendly place to go and do it.

If you thought Bayer were caught cold last week? Then think again.

So there we have it, another great night of UEFA Cup action awaits us.

Therefore as usual, I’ll remind you that quality European football doesn’t finish on Wednesday night after the Champions League games, but continues all the way to Thursday night with the UEFA Cup!

In what must go down as a huge shock, Zenit St Petersburg demolished Bayer Leverkusen 4-1 in Germany. Funnily enough, the other shock of the night was also in Germany with a late Getafe goal denting Bayern Munich's hopes of an easy passage into the semi-finals.

In other games, Rangers were held to a goal-less draw at home by Sporting Lisbon with Fiorentina and PSV Eindhoven settling for a 1-1 draw in Italy.

Let's start in Leverkusen where everyone was expecting a win for the home side.

The Russians looked impressive early on and took a deserved lead on 20 minutes thanks to Andrei Arshavin. The visitors pressed on for a second but were caught napping at the back by Bayer's Stefan Kiessling, who equalized for the home side.

The second half was all Zenit as they pushed forward and went on to score three second-half goals through Pavel Pogrebniak, Alexander Anyukov, and Igor Denisov.

The result was probably the best away European result of the season apart from Rangers 3-0 win in Lyon.

It also pretty much guarantees a semi-final spot for Dick Advocaat's men.

In the other quarter final played on German soil last night, the mighty Bayern Munich were expected to walk over small Spanish outfit Getafe.

Luca Toni's first half goal set the ball in motion for the Germans but it wasn't to be their night with one time star in the making Cosmin Contra equalizing in the final minute to give the Spanish side the momentum going into next week's second leg.

I must say I called this game for an upset but even I wasn't expecting Getafe to go into the second leg technically in front.

The Germans were left visibly stunned by the result and will have to pick themselves up as they have it all to do in Spain.

The match at Ibrox between Rangers and Sporting was a highly-charged affair but it wasn't much of a spectacle. Neither side created a clear chance for the entire 90 minutes, with the Rangers players looking dead on their feet late in the game.

The hectic schedule of the Glasgow Giants is clearly catching up with them in their battle for a quadruple trophy season. They have already lifted the Scottish League Cup and are six points clear in the league with a game in hand. With quarter final ties in the Scottish and UEFA Cup's along with two away trips to Celtic still to come, the Gers will have to dig deep.

David Weir will miss the second leg due to suspension and this will leave a huge void in the Rangers defense.

However, the Rangers are not out of it and a single goal in Portugal could be more than enough to go through.

Finally to Florence where Fiorentina welcomed PSV. In a tight affair, PSV will be the happier after walking away level on aggregate and with an away goal to boot.

Viola have it all to do in the second leg after Adrian Mutu's early second half strike was cancelled out by Danny Koeverman's top corner effort.

So with the first legs over and arguably only one game decided, I can't wait for next Thursday, as three sides hit the road looking for impressive away results.

Thursday night will continue a great week of European football with the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup.

Glasgow Rangers, fresh from their Old Firm derby win over Celtic, welcome Sporting Lisbon to Ibrox. The Portuguese giants saw off England’s Bolton Wanderers in the round of 16 and will fancy another British scalp.

Scottish side Rangers defeated Werder Bremen of Germany in the previous round, thanks to a great 2-0 home win that the Germans were unable to overturn in the return leg (1-0).

The men from Glasgow are sweating over the fitness of key personnel following Saturday’s battling 1-0 win over city rival’s Celtic.

Midfielders Steven Davis and Saturday’s scoring hero Kevin Thomson both picked up injuries and failed to play all 90 minutes at the weekend. However, Thomson is expected to recover in time for Thursday’s clash.

Rangers boss Walter Smith says he is prepared to take the game to Sporting, and that he believes in his side. He said, “This time we can cause Sporting more problems than we did to Werder Bremen.”

The 'Gers will have the edge at Ibrox, but over two legs, I’d hate to jinx it.

Russian outfit Zenit St Petersburg travel to Germany where they will meet Bayer Leverkusen. Dick Advocaat’s side have been this year's surprise package and came back from 3-1 down against Marseille to knock out the French side.

Leverkusen will need to win at home to have any chance, as no one will fancy going to Russia for a result.

Tournament favourites Bayern Munich welcome plucky Spanish side Getafe to the Allianz Arena, in what has all the makings of a shock result. Getafe are no stranger to big sides, playing their football in the Spanish La Liga, and will take this one in their stride.

Bayern on the other hand, have the pressure of being the favourites to deal with, but I’m sure they will be confident of progressing.

Last but not least is the battle between the two sides that knocked out English opposition in the last round. Fiorentina disposed of Everton despite looking rather lacklustre at Goodison Park in a 2-0 defeat.

PSV Eindhoven amazingly threw away their 1-0 lead earned at White Hart Lane and lost 1-0 at home to Tottenham Hotspur in the second leg. It was PSV, though who maintained their composure to win on penalty kicks.

I believe neither team will fancy the other and this could be a low scoring affair. PSV will have to improve on their home form, however if they are to have any chance.

So don’t switch off after this week’s UEFA Champions League action, as we have another night of great European football.

As Cesare Prandelli and David Moyes continue to make last minute preparations for their UEFA Cup Round of 16 First Leg clash, one could predict that both sets of managers will be warning their respective sides against any thoughts of complacency when they square off Thursday night at Artemio Franchi Stadium.

After all, these are two clubs with very ambitious attitudes as the footballing calendar continues to wind down toward its conclusion.

Despite reigning from distinctly different football leagues, Moyes is right on the mark when he made the comparison between Everton and Fiorentina.

"I would see it (tomorrow's tie) more of two sides who in the future are going to be in the Champions League," said the Goodison chief. "Fiorentina are a very good team and I think there are a lot of similarities to Everton."

With Everton's strong run in the English Premier League and Fiorentina's surging run of form in the Serie A, both sides are coming off positive results leading up to the encounter. Fiorentina climbed within one point of fellow Italian rivals Juventus after a surprising 3-2 win. Everton, on the other hand, have set the pace for the fourth and final Champions League spot after winning against Portsmouth and Manchester City.

Perhaps even more bizarrely, the clubs will most likely have to do without their respective star players. Former Chelsea hitman Adrian Mutu has been ruled out of the match with a knee injury for approximately another two weeks, while Everton starlet Mikel Arteta is struggling to gain fitness in time for the date after receiving treatment in Spain on his groin.

When asked to comment, Arteta indicated that he is desperate to join his teammates and leave his injury troubles in the past.

"We have had a great season and we want that to keep going right until May. We are all confident we can do something special this season and it is a privilege to be a part of that. I want to play as big a role as possible in helping the lads continue to get good results, both in the league and in Europe."

Evidently, with the fantastic run of results, the players themselves are anything but short on confidence.

"I know I have a phenomenal player like Mutu ahead of me," young Fiorentina striker Pablo Daniel Osvaldo said of his injured Romanian teammate. "I just hope to take my chances in the best possible way. Some days everything seems easy, I hope it will be like that against Everton."

Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard echoed the same type of pre-match talk on the other end while acknowledging the danger that Fiorentina poses to his club side.

"Fiorentina beat Juventus on the weekend so that says all you need to know. It’s the last 16, there’s no easy team, we know that, but as you’ve seen recently we’re up for it. We’re ready to fight and ready to challenge and our football has been great.

"I think they’re very defensive minded. They’re tremendously organised and tactically they’re set up is going to be nearly perfect, so they’re going to take some breaking down but as you’ve seen over our European journey we’ve broken teams down and we’ve had the patience to do that and hopefully it will be the same on Thursday.

"Obviously we want the win but if we can get our away goal I think that that is very important as well. We have been unbeaten, but at the beginning of the year we had to qualify and no one would have foreseen a perfect 100 percent record in Europe since then, but we’ve done that."