The draw for the Round of 16 was made this afternoon in Nyon, Switzerland, pairing the Gers with Jose Mourinho’s men and, should they progress to the last eight, a quarter-final meeting with AS Roma or Athletic Club.
Speaking to the media after the draw paired the two sides together, Clement said: “It is an exciting two games that everyone is looking forward to.
“I know a lot of players from the past, so it’s a really good team.
“For Hamza [Igamane] it will be interesting to play against a really good Moroccan striker, and it’s also a stadium with a lot of passionate fans like we have.
“I think everyone is excited for this game.
“Is it my first team coaching against Mourinho? I think so.
“I played against Man Utd a few years ago, but I don’t think it was him at that moment.
“I’ve always said it’s not a personal thing; it’s about the club and players. I’m not so busy about which managers that I’ve managed against at a moment in time.
“It’s going to give you a lot of material.
“He is someone who has won a lot of trophies. There are different managers with different styles and he won a lot of trophies in a certain style.
“I like even more managers with another style, but the respect is there and it’s about winning. He has done that at several places and teams, and he’s won several of the biggest trophies that you can win in the world.
“It’s normal to respect someone who has done that.”
Clement’s immediate attention, however, rests firmly on tomorrow’s Scottish Premiership clash against St. Mirren at Ibrox.
The Light Blues are seeking their sixth successive league victory and the Gers boss insists it’s important that his side maintain their consistency on that front.
He said: “[The objective] is to win every game. It stays the same.
“It’s not going to be putting everything into one competition and not performing in another competition.
“If you create that mentality then you’re in the wrong place and the future of the club will be really bad.
“I said from the beginning that I want to go full in four competitions until the end.
“We didn’t reach that, granted, with the cup game, but that’s what I demand every day.
“It’s not like it’s now the final games of the league and we’re going to throw in young players.
“Clinton Nsiala played last weekend and I could have chosen a more experienced player in that moment.
“He has showed his quality in recent weeks and I felt no reason to change that.
“It’s not about giving things; it’s more giving opportunities in training and perhaps games like we did in the cup game.
“They need to show in training that they deserve a spot.
“This stays Rangers and everyone wants to win every game.
“That’s also the evolution that young players need to take to go into that competition, but it’s a positive sign that they are going more and more.”