Rangers’ Youssef Chermiti has issued a warning to Portugal U21 teammates ahead of the clash against Scotland U21 on Tuesday. He knows the opposition well to an extent from playing under Danny Röhl at Ibrox.
The striker joined Rangers from Everton for around £8m [€9.2m] in September, when Russell Martin was at Ibrox.
A month later, they parted ways with the manager and appointed Röhl as his successor.
The 21-year-old has been a regular under Röhl at Ibrox and has scored nine goals and contributed two assists from 34 matches for Rangers.
His league stats are as follows:
- Expected Goals: 7.44
- Expected Assists: 1.22
- Big chances created: 2
- Big chances missed: 13
- Goal conversion: 13%
- Shots on target per game: 1.0
His performances for Rangers helped him return to Portugal’s U21 squad in October, first time since March 2024. The attacker has maintained his place in Luis Freire’s squad since then. It also caught Fenerbahçe’s attention in the winter market, but a move never took shape.
Chermiti has managed two goals and an assist from four European qualifiers, and this includes a goal in their 4-0 win over Azerbaijan last Friday.
Portugal U21 will host Scotland U21 at the Estádio António Coimbra da Mota in Estoril on Tuesday.
Rangers man’s message for Scotland U21 clash
Monday’s edition of Record have relayed Youssef Chermiti’s comments about tomorrow’s fixture.
The former Toffees man and his teammates have been training at Cidade do Futebol, the national team’s sporting complex in Algés.
He talks about the importance of maintaining mental focus to secure a win over Scotland.
“Me and the whole group expect a well-played game from our side. We have shown our quality throughout the qualifying round, and we will do everything to come away with the three points,” he said.
“I haven’t had the opportunity to see the Scottish team, but they certainly have some teammates I play against in the league. We expect an opponent that will come with everything and we are ready.”
The Rangers man dismisses suggestion of overconfidence.
“We have to be humble, and we can’t think that the game will be easy or that the opponent is coming here to make it easy. The coaching staff has always told us to give our best,” Chermiti explained.
Full squad for March international break
- 4-1 win over Azerbaijan U21
- v Scotland U21 in Estoril on March 31st
Luis Freire’s full squad:
Goalkeepers: André Gomes (FC Alverca), Gonçalo Ribeiro (FC Porto) e João Carvalho (SC Braga)
Defenders: Daniel Banjaqui (SL Benfica), Diogo Monteiro (FC Arouca), Gabriel Brás (FC Porto), João Muniz (Sporting CP), Leonardo Barroso (Chicago Fire FC), Rodrigo Rêgo (SL Benfica), Tiago Gabriel (US Lecce Spa) e Tiago Parente (FC Felgueiras);
Midfielders: Diego Rodrigues (SC Braga), Diogo Sousa (Vitória SC), Gonçalo Moreira (SL Benfica), Gustavo Sá (FC Famalicão), João Simões (Sporting CP) e Mathias de Amorim (FC Famalicão);
Forwrds: Carlos Forbs (Club Brugge KV), Mateus Mané (Wolverhampton Wanderers FC), Noah Saviolo (Vitória SC), Rodrigo Ribeiro (FC Augsburg), Roger Fernandes (Al Ittihad) e Youssef Chermiti (Rangers FC)
