Latest news with #Dessers
Scottish Sun
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Rangers vs Panathinaikos LIVE SCORE as Greeks mount pressure on Russell Martin's men and Butland makes TWO huge saves
Igamane and Dessers are both in the squad EUR ON Rangers vs Panathinaikos LIVE SCORE as Greeks mount pressure on Russell Martin's men and Butland makes TWO huge saves IT's been a frantic start at Ibrox - and not in Rangers' favour. Rangers dominated possession in the early parts of the game but it's been Panathinaikos in the driving seat since. The Greeks hit the post and Jack Butland had to pull off two massive saves to ensure the game remains goalless. Follow SunSport's LIVE blog for all the latest updates from Govan. Rangers vs Panathinaikos kicks off at 7.45pm UK time. The game will take place at Ibrox. It will be shown live on Premier Sports 1. Coverage begins at 7.15pm – half an hour before kick off. BBC Sportsound will have radio commentary for the game. Rangers XI: Butland, Tavernier, Aarons, Souttar, Rothwell, Diomande, Dowell, Djiga, Raskin, Curtis, Danilo Butland, Tavernier, Aarons, Souttar, Rothwell, Diomande, Dowell, Djiga, Raskin, Curtis, Danilo Rangers subs: Kelly, Cortes, Barron, Dessers, Bajrami, Cameron, Jefte, Gassama, Igamane, Fernandez, Rice, Gentles Kelly, Cortes, Barron, Dessers, Bajrami, Cameron, Jefte, Gassama, Igamane, Fernandez, Rice, Gentles Panathinaikos XI : Dragowski, Vagiannidis, Chirivella, Touba, Ioannidis, Bakasetas, Palmer-Brown, Maksimovic, Pellistri, Duricic, Kiriakopoulos : Dragowski, Vagiannidis, Chirivella, Touba, Ioannidis, Bakasetas, Palmer-Brown, Maksimovic, Pellistri, Duricic, Kiriakopoulos Panathinaikos subs: Lafont, Kotsaris, Siopis, Tete, Ingason, Cerin, Mancini, Swiderski, Jedvaj, Kotsiras, Jeremejeff, Bregou
BBC News
2 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Martin on pressure, Panathinaikos & Aasgaard fitness
Head coach Russell Martin had been talking to the media before the first leg of Rangers' Champions League second round qualifying tie with are some of the key things he said:Martin is looking forward to a night of "learning" at Ibrox as he sees his side in a competitive match for the first stressed it's not a season-defining game and Rangers "will be defined by what we do between now and May". He did concede, though, that "it's a big game" and "a huge part in setting the tone" for the head coach is expecting a "tough challenge" from the Greek side. "They have some real strengths, but so do we."In looking for a positive result, Martin says the fans "have to leave feeling positive about their team, their new look and the way it is going to start to shape up".The head coach confirmed Dessers, Igamane and Gassama are not fit enough to play 90 minutes, but will feature. Aasgaard is not fit.
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Rangers discover Champions League third qualifying round draw fate as path to league phase becomes clearer
The journey to European football's promised land has become clearer for the Light Blues EUR ON Rangers discover Champions League third qualifying round draw fate as path to league phase becomes clearer Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RANGERS have discovered who they will face in the Champions League third round qualifier - IF they get past Panathinaikos. Russell Martin kickstarts his Ibrox revolution tomorrow night with a visit from the Greek giants in the first leg before facing them again in Athens next Wednesday. Sign up for the Rangers newsletter Sign up 1 The big game is just around the corner for Russell Martin Credit: Getty The winner of the tie will progress and move one step closer to reaching the main phase of the Champions League. Rangers face THREE qualifying rounds in their gruelling journey to book their place in the tournament proper. The Light Blues were handed arguably the toughest opposition in the second round when they were paired alongside Panathinakos, with Servette and SK Brann the other two potential options. And it doesn't get any easier for Gers in the next round should they get the better of the Greeks over the next week. Russell Martin's men have been drawn to face Viktoria Plzen or Servette. The other potential options for Rangers here were Fenerbahce, Nice or the winner of Red Bull Salzburg's tie with Brann. The Gers were the first team out of the hat meaning the first leg would be at Ibrox should the Light Blues progress. Should they progress past Panathinaikos, the Gers will be back in action across 5/6 August and 12 August for the first and second legs respectively. The Gers have never faced Czech outfit Viktoria Plzen before but Swiss side Servette are somewhat familiar foes. They faced-off in Champions League qualifying two years ago at the same third qualifying round stage. Rangers boss Russell Martin opens up on transfer plans as he delivers updates on Dessers and Igamane On that occasion, it was Michael Beale's Light Blues who progressed 3-2 on aggregate. A narrow 2-1 win at Ibrox was followed by a 1-1 draw in Switzerland, a result that was enough to send the Gers through. A thumping aggregate defeat to PSV Eindhoven in the play-off round, however, put paid to the Gers' hopes of making it to the competition that season. Should Rangers see-off Panathinaikos and progress past Plzen or Servette, then only the play-off round will once again stand in Rangers' way of the league phase. Celtic will also enter the play-off round with the guaranteed spot in the competition proper no longer there.
Daily Record
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Hamza Igamane a Rangers 'risk' as surging Lille talks see transfer rivals pull out amid De Jong intel leak
Russell Martin has a big decision to make on the striker before the crucial Champions League clash with Panathinaikos Rangers have been told they are RIGHT not to risk Hamza Igamane for the Champions League qualifier with Panathinaikos next Tuesday. It comes with the club standing firm on their £15million valuation of the striker amid ongoing talks with Lille - with reports suggesting one suitor has now dropped out of the race to land the 22-year-old. Igamane impressed in his debut Ibrox campaign - netting 16 goals for the Light Blues after a £1.7m move from AS FAR last summer. That has sparked discussions with the Ligue 1 side over a potential move - and Rangers new owners 49ers Enterprises are determined to land a bumper profit in the 22-year-old with the Glasgow giants holding out for a £15m payday. And while Igamane has already agreed personal terms over a move no formal bid has been tabled - with Lille president Olivier Letang previously admitting the club were in no hurry to get a deal done. But Foot Mercato now report that the club are re-launching their bid to land the striker and want him to be their "next" recruit. With the Light Blues to command a bumper fee, former Ibrox striker Gordon Dalziel insists that it would be a gamble for Russell Martin to play the Morocco international. However, he reckons Cyriel Dessers should be recalled despite interest from AEK. He told Clyde 1 Superscoreboard: 'If I was in the situation, for example Igamane, and they are talking figures around the £14-15m for him - I totally understand Rangers wouldn't risk him. "But, I would certainly risk Dessers, because Dessers isn't going to get you anywhere near that.' But the valuation from Rangers has reportedly seen Marseille rule out a move, with Le 10 Sport that Lille's Ligue 1 rivals are unwilling to go beyond €10million (£8.6million). In terms of a replacement for Dessers and Igamane, Luuk de Jong is reportedly on Rangers' radar - as he looks to have pulled the curtain down on his time at PSV Eindhoven. The 34-year-old had been training with the Eredivise champions to maintain his fitness as he weights up his options. But the club have now handed his No. 9 jersey to Ricardo Pepi and signed Borussia Monchengladbach forward Alassane Plea as a successor. Former Dutch defender Bram van Polen claims that he has heard whispers that De Jong's time is officially over at the Eredivise champions as he looks for an "adventure" away from the Netherlands. He told ESPN's Voetbalpraat: "They've moved on now. I would understand a foreign adventure from his (De Jong's) perspective. "And perhaps he's become worried about his minutes. Last year, you could already see things declining with Pepi. And now, with another title, he's saying goodbye on a high note."
Scottish Sun
7 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Hamza Igamane ‘hasn't been happy' at Rangers since LAST SEASON and he'd jump at the chance to leave, claims Gers insider
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) HAMZA IGAMANE may or may not get his big move to Lille this summer. But either way he's not been happy at Rangers for several months now, according to one Ibrox insider. Sign up for the Rangers newsletter Sign up 3 Hamza Igamane wasn't a regular under Barry Ferguson at Rangers Credit: PA 3 Lille appear keen to snap him up this summer Credit: Getty Igamane has been the subject of intense speculation between Gers and the Ligue 1 side all summer long. The most recent suggestion is that while there's been no formal approach from the French outfit, both they and Rangers are quite some distance apart in their valuation of the player. It's believed Gers want upwards of £15million for the 22-year-old Morocco international but Lille are hovering closer to the £10m-£12m mark. The Ibrox club only paid £1.7m for his services last summer and although he took a while to settle in and adapt to Scottish football, he was a rare bright spark in an otherwise poor year for the Light Blues last season. He hit 16 goals in 46 games but notably dropped down the pecking order below Cyriel Dessers towards the end of the campaign - though he did manage a superb sub appearance against Celtic in the March derby that Rangers won. Interim boss Barry Ferguson seemed to prefer Dessers due to his higher workrate, and indeed hinted as such during a number of interviews and press conferences. Dessers is also linked with a move away, to AEK Athens, and like Igamane he hasn't featured in any of the pre-season outings under new boss Russell Martin. But Rangers star-turned pundit Derek Ferguson - Barry's older brother - reckons Igamane's absence is far more of an indication of him wanting to leave. And he thinks the striker has been unhappy ever since he was demoted to the bench on a regular basis. In an interview with Ibrox News, Ferguson said: 'He hasn't played in a couple of the friendlies now, and that tells me he's probably wanting to avoid injury. Rangers boss Russell Martin opens up on transfer plans as he delivers updates on Dessers and Igamane 'It gives the impression to me that he's not too happy at Rangers, to be honest with you, and you can perhaps take that back to the end of last season when he wasn't starting. 'He's not a happy bunny, and I get the feeling that the culture in Scotland plays a part in that. 'If he's offered the chance to leave, I just feel he'd jump at it right now. 'I think [Dessers and Igamane] could both go. You look at Dessers' stats and they're very good. Teams will look at that. 'At 30 years old, he still has a few years ahead of him. If Rangers can get £5million, they take it.' 3 Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
