McLeish demands Rangers transformation

Nick Harris
Monday 12 September 2005 18:00 EDT
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"I am not hopeful of a positive reaction [to the weekend's poor display]," he said. "I will get a positive reaction. The players will be up for this game. They will be different animals."

If laying down the law is one tactic he is sure to employ, so is a shake-up in his team. The Rangers manager insists that he has been happy with recent defensive performances but his back line is in a state of flux, while up front the only certainty is that Dado Prso will start at the heart of attack. "This can be the game that kick-starts everybody," McLeish said. "These are the type of games we strive for, the type of game we live for. If we were frightened of this one then we should not be here.

"All of the players know the consequences of a poor result at Rangers and when they don't play well then they are going to get it in the neck."

Porto arrived in Glasgow on Sunday evening without one of their key strikers, Benni McCarthy, who was left at home for indiscipline after being found with two women in his hotel room before Porto's 3-0 win at Rio Ave. The player claimed, to no avail, that they were his hairdressers.

Dutchman Co Adriaanse, who is Porto's fourth manager in 18 months of changes since Jose Mourinho led them to Europe's major trophy, insists he still has resources to trouble Rangers.

"We don't fear anybody," he said. "The best player Rangers had was [Shota] Arveladze but he is at my former club AZ Alkmaar now."

Rangers (probable, 4-3-1-2): Waterreus; Ricksen, Pierre-Fanfan, Rodriguez, Murray; Novo, Ferguson, Lovenkrands; Buffel; Prso, Jeffers.

Porto (probable, 4-3-3): Vitor Baia; Sonkaya, Ricardo Costa, Emanuel, Cesar Peixoto; Ibson, Lucho Gonzalez, Diego; Lisandro Lopez, Sokota, Jorginho de Sousa.

Referee: Jan Wegereef (Netherlands).

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