Rangers won the League Cup last season, but finished second behind Celtic in both the title race and in the Scottish Cup.
Nicolas Raskin’s last appearance for Rangers was in the Scottish Cup final defeat to Celtic last month.
The Belgian arrived at Rangers from Standard Liège in January 2023, and played 31 matches in his first full season with Philippe Clement’s side. He’s played against Brendan Rodgers’ side a few times, and this includes a 3-0 win over Celtic at Ibrox in May 2023.
Belgium’s RTBF had a chat with the Rangers midfielder, where they discussed a few topics including the football culture in Scotland. When responding to that, the 23-year-old opens up on how Rangers’ win over Celtic left a mark on him.
“Scotland has a great footballing culture, when you see the atmosphere they create in the stadium. It’s exceptional,” he said.
“The [Old Firm] Rangers – Celtic derby is an incredible experience, especially when you play in a neutral stadium, in the Cup, where there are half the supporters on each side.
“I remember when we won 3-0 against them at home, even the pitch below my feet was shaking, so much because they were jumping around the stadium. These are derbies that are incredible to play.
“It affects me a little less than a Charleroi-Standard, as a Liégeois (laughing). But Scotland is a great football nation and they are very demanding of their team. So, I think that the inaugural defeat (5-1 against Germany, Editor’s note) must have hurt them very much.”
Michael Beale was in charge at Ibrox when the player arrived at Rangers. He was replaced by Philippe Clement last October. When asked about his life at Rangers, Raskin also talked about his compatriot.
“Things are going well at Rangers. Philippe Clement brought a fresh breath of fresh air, the European way of working there,” Raskin explained.
“It’s a very different football in the UK than in Europe. So, for me it’s good, I found habits that I had at Standard and in Europe.
“Next season, I hope to be able to play as much as possible and have a good European campaign, because we count on that a lot there. And then being able to be champion at the end of the year. It would be a great season.”
