Rangers finished second in the Scottish Premiership this season and have made it to the second qualifying round of the Champions League.
Earlier this month, Rangers appointed Russell Martin as their new manager and his first competitive game in charge of the Ibrox club will be in the Champions League qualifiers. They face Panathinaikos in a two-legged tie towards the end of next month.
Panathinaikos manager Rui Vitoria has been speaking to the Greek media about the two games against the Scottish club and Sport.24 have relayed his comments.
Vitoria, who took over the Greek club in October, is well aware of the tough challenge he and his side will face against Rangers.
The former Benfica and Spartak Moscow manager respects Russell Martin’s new club but remains optimistic of overcoming Rangers in a two-legged tie to make it to the next round of the qualifiers.
“We knew before the draw that in any case we would face a strong team. Rangers are a well-known European team with a huge history and experienced players,” he said.
“I expect two tough games. For our part, we have 35 days of hard work ahead of us in order to perform as we should in the first game. We believe in our abilities, we have our goal and we will do our best to present ourselves in these games with the maximum degree of readiness.”
Last August, Rangers lost to Dynamo Kyiv in the third round of the Champions League qualifiers and were subsequently demoted to the Europa League.
Martin will be keen on improving that record this year and helping his new club qualify for the group stage of the Europe’s elite club competition.
