Philippe Clement confident Rangers can handle atmosphere at Olympiacos
Olympiacos won the UEFA Conference League last season.
Philippe Clement believes Rangers will embrace the intensity of a packed Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium when they face Olympiacos on Thursday night.
The Greek side’s fans are known for their fervour and drew attention when they unfurled a ‘Tonight You Dine in Hell’ banner when West Ham visited in the Europa League last year.
There were also spectacular scenes when tens of thousands took the streets of Piraeus when Olympiacos won the UEFA Conference League last season.
However, speaking in the media room in the bowels of the 33,000-plus capacity stadium, the Belgian boss was bullishness about his side’s ability to stand up to the heat.
“I’m confident about that,” said Clement, who confirmed midfielder Tom Lawrence will be out for four to six weeks with a leg injury picked up in the 2-1 Premier Sports Cup semi-final win over Motherwell at Hampden Park on Sunday.
“Okay, we have a few guys who are less experienced but we also have enough experienced players in the squad. They’re used to playing at Ibrox.
“That helps also. If you have a team who plays in a smaller stadium and come here, it’s different. In Malmo it was also a really good atmosphere. That’s what you want.
“European nights, there’s always some magic. It’s always something special. Different playing styles, different players that you don’t know really well.
“And in that way, for a player, it’s always nice to play in stadiums like this. Big stadiums with a big crowd. So I think everybody will embrace that and be happy with that.”
Both sides have beaten Swedish side Malmo away and lost to French outfit Lyon ahead of their clash in Greece.
Clement believes Rangers will have to hit new heights if they are to overcome the Greek side.
He said: “Clearly more because they won also against Malmo and they won against Braga. I rate Braga also highly and they won 3-0.
“We need a really big performance from all the squad, all those starting and coming in but I feel also that they are very hungry to do that.
“It’s now to confirm that in this game at a higher level against a better opponent, to raise our level again.
“We know what they did last season, of course, winning that trophy. It’s a big club.
“They won really deservedly against Malmo and Braga. So we know it’s a really big test tomorrow. It’s a big game, but we’re looking forward to that and to impose ourselves and to go for a good result.”
Lawrence has been a key player for Rangers this season, scoring five times in 15 appearances and Clement admits his absence is a blow.
He said: “Tom got injured in the cup semi-final, like you saw. So he will be out for several weeks, four to six weeks.
“So, he will not be there the next couple of weeks.
“Of course he’s been important. He took the role really well. This season he scored several really important goals, but not only that also defensive-wise. But it gives chances to other players to prove themselves. It’s like that in football.
“We don’t have many (injuries) for the moment, touch wood. We want to continue in that way – with all the squad to be available.”
