The Scottish teams heading for Europe | - video Dailymotion

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On this week's Fitbaw Talk Podcast, Martyn talks about the teams heading to Europe with John Grechan and Barry Anderson.

Transcript

00:00So, the draw for the Champions League qualifying has been made.

00:09Rangers are going to face either Dynamo Kiev or FK Partizan,

00:16known to you and I as Partizan Belgrade.

00:22This looks like probably one of the draws Rangers might have rather avoided,

00:28doesn't it Barry?

00:30Definitely.

00:32This is one of the worst draws that Rangers could have got I think,

00:35because you're going to be going away to Serbia or Poland against

00:40arguably the biggest club in Serbia and arguably the biggest club in Ukraine.

00:43So, it's extremely tough for them and their home game is likely to be at Hamden,

00:49which is slightly different from the European advantage they've gained

00:53in recent years from playing at Ibrox.

00:56Their run to the Europa League final was largely based on their performances and results at Ibrox,

01:02but that's taken away a little bit when they're at Hamden.

01:05You just need to look at the squads, the Partizan Belgrade squad,

01:08there's Brazilians in there, Bosnians,

01:11Serbians obviously, decent Belgian players, Israelis.

01:15I think Rangers are in for a really tough time no matter who they get in this draw,

01:20no matter who comes through and I think we'd probably say Dynamo Kiev would be the favourites.

01:26To beat Partizan Belgrade, I think that's probably fair,

01:29but either way, I think it's really tough for Rangers.

01:33Particularly their away league, they could be really strong.

01:36Yeah, I think what you're right there Barry,

01:38what it shows is no matter how much they've revamped the Champions League,

01:41it's still going to be tough to get into it if you're in those qualifying rounds.

01:45And Scotland's coefficient has been better in recent years,

01:48but it can still be really, really brutal unless you're getting in one of the leagues

01:53where you can get automatically in.

01:56Yeah, and just, we know that Dynamo Kiev,

02:01as much as Rangers would miss home advantage,

02:05Dynamo Kiev are also in a probably worse position in that they'll have to play their games in Poland

02:10due to the ongoing situation there.

02:13But if it ends up being Partizan,

02:17well, Rangers faced Red Star not so long ago,

02:20John, even prior to that on their road to Manchester back in 2008,

02:25you were telling me before the recording, you were there.

02:29It's safe to say that Belgrade is maybe not the friendliest footballing city for away fans to visit.

02:35It's a really interesting place.

02:38Yeah, they've got a lively scene, you could say.

02:40Because I remember we went on the run in 2008,

02:45a group of press, so middle-aged guys out for dinner in a restaurant.

02:50And next thing, the police turned up and we were finishing up and they said,

02:54yeah, we'll just walk you back to your hotel.

02:57We're like, what do you mean? We're not going for a drink?

03:00So, no, no, it's not safe for you, we'll walk you back to your hotel.

03:04So this big kind of riot police walking us back to our hotel felt a little bit incongruous.

03:09And then they told us we couldn't leave the hotel.

03:14But the game itself, it was the usual flares and madness and chaos.

03:19And that was a very good Rangers team, obviously, under Walter Smith.

03:23And they got the job done that night.

03:26I'm sure there is an enjoyable aspect to that.

03:29I mean, how often do you actually get to experience an atmosphere like that?

03:32But certainly, as a player, you've got to imagine it's quite intimidating as well.

03:41Do you think Rangers will have a preference here?

03:45I mean, I think Kiev will be favourites to come through the group, obviously, Barry.

03:49But in terms of the two squads, maybe not that much between them.

03:53Obviously, Dynamo do have a lot of Ukrainian internationals in that team,

04:00including former West Ham striker Andriy Yarmolenko,

04:05who we know from his time in the Premier League is a superb player,

04:10even if he is getting up there in age a wee bit.

04:12But I think probably Kiev maybe have the slightly better squads,

04:17but Partizan, as we were just speaking about,

04:20will have the advantage of a home footballing crowd

04:26in one of the most hostile cities in Europe.

04:29Yeah, I think if you were to give them a straight choice right now,

04:32they would probably pick Partizan-Belgrade on that basis,

04:35that basically Dynamo-Kiev would be the stronger team, you would think.

04:40And certainly looking through the squads, they would look stronger.

04:42But that's not to belittle Partizan-Belgrade.

04:45When you're going away to Belgrade,

04:46no matter who you're playing, you're in for a really tough time.

04:49And as John's experienced himself, it's a really hostile time as well.

04:53They're not shrinking violets over there at all.

04:56And they're also very technical.

04:59Technically, they're very good teams from those sort of nations,

05:02particularly the Serbians, that they have a way of bringing players up

05:07that's totally focused on technical ability.

05:09So they keep the ball well, they move it well, they play at a tempo.

05:13They're backed, obviously, by a passionate home support

05:16and they're capable of going away from home and scoring goals and causing you trouble.

05:20So I think whoever the Rangers get, they're in for a really tough time.

05:25Get through that, get to the play-off round of the Champions League,

05:28I think would be a really good achievement for this Rangers team at the moment.

The Scottish teams heading for Europe |

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