Philippe Clement tells Rangers GLADIATORS to grab their Colosseum moment in do or die Celtic showdown
Philippe Clement has urged his Rangers players to be like GLADIATORS in the Colosseum when they travel to a pumped-up Parkhead for a do or die Scottish Premiership crunch.
The Light Blues need a victory against fierce rivals Celtic as they trail their fierce rivals and champions by three points and five goals with just three games to go. The odds are hugely stacked against Clement’s side but the Belgian has thrown the gauntlet down to his stars to take the fight to the Hoops.
The Gers boss said: “Football is a little bit like the gladiators of the modern age. In the old times you had the gladiators there and the stadium full of people shouting and booing or with their thumbs up or down and we are now in the situation. The good thing is, people don’t kill us. We are not dead after it - maybe only verbally but not in real life! That is the real positive that we always have another go in the stadium again.
"That is how society works and players need to be ready for that. It’s exciting because the more passion people have, the more support you have also. They need to grab these moments to be really good Gladiators in the Colosseum.
“If we have a draw there we can still become champions. It’s going to be hot, that’s for sure. You need to love that if you want to be a player here or in this town. And I know many are. Many love to play here. You know as a player the more people boo at you, the more people are shouting at you and are negative towards to you then the more they are afraid their team won’t get a result. It works that way. In a way I think the more they are going to boo tomorrow, the stronger my team is going to get.”
Leon Balogun is a major doubt for the trip across the city but Abdallah Sima and Rabbi Matondo won’t be available. Clement said: “Leon Balogun is doubtful. There are no other fresh injuries or players returning from injury. It’s about 90 minutes, going full and not giving away chances. We know we have to be really effective with our chances to score. We will go for the full three points. The start of the game is important, we have to be more efficient.
“I feel the belief in my team, there is hunger and desire to show themselves as a team. Every game is different, it’s about Saturday and being there as a player to take the moments. We know small margins can decide these games. It’s about It’s about staying focused, staying resilient, not giving up and always believing in the team. I’m looking forward to the game for sure, these are the games you want to be involved in.
“I want to win every game against every opponent, that has to be the aim of every person in the building. We. Need to grab the moment, together. I love these moments. I love this city, it is so passionate about football.”