Rangers defender David Weir has rejected rejected speculation that Rangers would be happy to crach out of the Europa League to avoid a major fixture pile-up
Rangers will take on Sporting Lisbon tomorrow and the 40 year old David Weir knows that a victory could put them on the right track for an additional two games as the season approaches its crucial stage.
This situation has sparked fears among many Rangers supporters who do not want their club to lose out on the league just because of fixture congestion due to the European matches.
In 2008, Rangers marched onto the UEFA Cup final but they lost their near total domination on the league in the last few matches due to fatigue. This is one thing Rangers fans will never want to see again and some of them a prepared to accept defeat for Rangers in Europe.
But Weir said: “It’s exciting to be involved in Europe at this stage of the season. It’s a nice boost for the players and it gives everybody a lift. A rest is the last thing I want. I’m like every other player, I want to play in every game, especially when they mean as much as they do at the minute.
“If you look for an excuse, you’ll find one – and this group of players has never been accused of that. We want to stay in Europe for as long as we can and experience the kind of great nights we had on our last run.
“Obviously, we’ll try and win the game on Thursday, but we’ve proved in the past that a no-score draw at home can be a favorable result because it puts a different slant on the return match.”
Meanwhile Sporting do not have any major obstacles in their way as they sit third in the Portuguese league, 23 points behind leaders Porto. They are almost certain of losing the league title and are ready to switch their concentration to the Europa League in search of silverware.
But Weir said: “We’ve got to focus on ourselves and make sure we are right. We had a decent result at the weekend and played good football.
“But Lisbon will be tough opposition, as the European teams always are.”
This situation has sparked fears among many Rangers supporters who do not want their club to lose out on the league just because of fixture congestion due to the European matches.
In 2008, Rangers marched onto the UEFA Cup final but they lost their near total domination on the league in the last few matches due to fatigue. This is one thing Rangers fans will never want to see again and some of them a prepared to accept defeat for Rangers in Europe.
But Weir said: “It’s exciting to be involved in Europe at this stage of the season. It’s a nice boost for the players and it gives everybody a lift. A rest is the last thing I want. I’m like every other player, I want to play in every game, especially when they mean as much as they do at the minute.
“If you look for an excuse, you’ll find one – and this group of players has never been accused of that. We want to stay in Europe for as long as we can and experience the kind of great nights we had on our last run.
“Obviously, we’ll try and win the game on Thursday, but we’ve proved in the past that a no-score draw at home can be a favorable result because it puts a different slant on the return match.”
Meanwhile Sporting do not have any major obstacles in their way as they sit third in the Portuguese league, 23 points behind leaders Porto. They are almost certain of losing the league title and are ready to switch their concentration to the Europa League in search of silverware.
But Weir said: “We’ve got to focus on ourselves and make sure we are right. We had a decent result at the weekend and played good football.
“But Lisbon will be tough opposition, as the European teams always are.”
