Antwerp defender Richie de Laet has warned Steven Gerrard and Rangers that his side are raring to go for their Europa League clash, with them considering ‘more important’ than their meetings with Tottenham.
The Ibrox side meet the Belgian side in the first leg of their Europa League last 32 clash this evening, with the return tie scheduled for February 25th.
Both clubs head into the game having impressed in the group stages, with Rangers topping Group D ahead of Benfica and Antwerp finishing second in Group J, one point behind Tottenham.
The Belgians pulled off one of the shocks of the competition back in October when they beat Tottenham 1-0 at home, a 29th-minute goal from Lior Refaelov the difference between the two sides.
It means they have no fears for their two-legged clash with Steven Gerrard’s side in the knock-out stages, a fact De Laet was keen to point out ahead of this evening’s meeting.
“The Europa League is an important competition,” Voetbalkrant report him saying.
“Everyone at the club is looking forward to this. The club has been waiting a long time to participate in this competition in this format. Tomorrow is the next step for us.
“It is now the knock-out phase. These matches are even more important than those in the group stage.
“We have already proven in the group stage that we can beat everyone here at home. In that area, this is more important than against Tottenham.
“We just have to start the match with confidence. We will see after the first 90 minutes where we are and what we need before we go there next week.”
