Rangers FC have made a wonderful start to the new season and Steven Gerrard is yet to lose a game as the new boss of the Light Blues.
But all that can change this Thursday when the Gers take on FC Ufa in the first leg of the Europa League play-offs.
Rangers welcome FC Ufa at Ibrox this Thursday and the Russian side are now the last team standing between Gerrard’s side and a spot in the Europa League.
While the Scottish side will surely be the favourites going into the match but FC Ufa will surely give their 100 per cent in the first leg more so after their Prime Minister has put unnecessary pressure on the side.
Before leading off to Scotland, the Prime Minister of Bashkortostan, Rustem Mardanov had some words of encouragement for FC Ufa:
“We need to act with dignity and remind ourselves of that when we are giving Ufa our support.
“Playing against Glasgow Rangers is very important for the Republic.
“The eyes of the world’s media will be looking at this game.
“And it’s a chance for recognition for our capital and our land from a very wide audience.
“We should take this opportunity to the maximum and show the world what we are like both in football and as people.”
While everyone will view this message as a positive sign but this has undoubtedly put a lot of pressure on the Russian side which in turn might affect the game on Thursday.
FC Ufa are currently 11th in the Russian Premier League and they lost their last domestic game to Dynamo Moscow 3-0. This means that if Ufa try too hard to get something out of the Rangers clash, the match could turn nasty in the blink of an eye.
While the Gers fans would want to see a free-flowing match but we doubt it would be anything but that.
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