DEREK McInnes insists his team will need to play at a high level tomorrow night as they face Jagiellonia Białystok in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League.
Rangers are in Poland for the first-leg, bolstered by the signing of Daisuke Yokota, and the manager is looking for a strong display ahead of next week’s return at Ibrox.
Speaking to the media at this evening’s pre-match press conference, McInnes said: “It is going to be a tough game, there's no two ways about it. Jagiellonia are a team who need respect.
“They just missed out on a Champions League spot, the league is getting stronger, and Jagiellonia deserve our full attention.
“I see a lot of high-technical-level players, good industry, and togetherness. They were very consistent last season, so we are concentrating on our performance. We know our performance will improve as each game goes past.
“We will have to play well over two legs to qualify, so we want to try and put in a strong 90 tomorrow night and going back to Ibrox we have a very good opportunity, but we are going to have to play well.”
On Daisuke Yokota, who was announced earlier today, and Olwethu Makhanya, who received his visa allowing him to travel with the squad, he said: “We hope Daisuke will help fill a void in a key position that we currently really need at the club. We feel as if we would like to have a couple of wingers, but getting Daisuke in and ahead of this game was really important for us. He is a left-footed player, plays from the right; he’s very industrious, very energetic and brings good quality from that side
“I am delighted we have managed to get that one done so quickly, and a lot of the praise goes to the recruitment team; he is available.
“Makhanya is available as well; he flew out directly from London this morning on his own because he had to rubber stamp the visa, but the club have done some brilliant work to make sure that process went through quite smoothly, so great he is available because it does ease the pressure a wee bit.”
With Nico Raskin returning from a break following the World Cup, McInnes praised his impact in training over the last few days.
He added: “Nico is here because we feel he can give us something as well. I spoke to him when he was on holiday and over the last few days he has trained really well.
“He is available, of course he is; there's been a lot of chat about Nico moving, but until a bid is accepted that suits everyone, then he is fit and available for us. If he plays anything like he's trained, then he's got plenty to offer us, and I'm just delighted to get the chance to work with such a quality player.”
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