Manager Derek McInnes has encouraged Rangers to embrace “more risk” as they prepare to overcome a 2-1 deficit against Jagiellonia Bialystok in the Europa League third qualifying round second leg at Ibrox on Thursday.

This season has been challenging for Rangers, as they are yet to secure a win under McInnes in three matches. Their campaign began with a 1-1 draw against Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership, followed by a loss to Jagiellonia in Poland, and a disappointing 2-1 defeat at home to Hibernian.

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“We could all be doing with a win,” McInnes stated. “The supporters could do with it, the players could do with it, and I think there’s nothing better to get a dose of encouragement and a dose of confidence into the support by getting a win.”

He added, “The tie’s finely poised. It goes without saying how important it is for us to try and crank it up. We want the pressure to be on the opposition, not ourselves.”

McInnes expressed hope that the players could deliver a performance that would energize the crowd. “It’s up to us to try and give them that encouragement because they’re desperate for something to get behind, and we want to try and deliver a big performance.”

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Further, McInnes remarked, “We certainly need to get more bodies in the box at times. We need to play with a bit more risk with our play. We need to be less safe. We can attack with a bit of purpose and a bit of intent without playing last five minutes football for 90 minutes.”

Team News

On Tuesday, Rangers announced that striker Youssef Chermiti would be sidelined for an extended period due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained in the match against Hibernian. Additionally, left-back Tuur Rommens is expected to be out for up to eight weeks due to a groin issue, joining fellow defender Ben Godfrey on the injury list. Midfielder Mohamed Diomande has also been transferred to Turkey’s Coram.

Manager Derek McInnes has urged Rangers to play with “more risk” as they seek to overturn a 2-1 deficit against Jagiellonia Bialystok in Thursday’s Europa League third qualifying round second leg at Ibrox.

Rangers are yet to win in McInnes’ three matches this season, drawing 1-1 at Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership opener, losing to Jagiellonia in Poland and then suffering a 2-1 defeat at home to Hibernian.

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“We could all be doing with a win,” said McInnes.

“The supporters could do with it, the players could do with it and I think there’s nothing better to get a dose of encouragement and a dose of confidence into the support by getting a win.

“The tie’s finely poised. It goes without saying how important it is for us to try and crank it up. We want the pressure to be on the opposition not ourselves.

“Hopefully, we can give the crowd something to get behind. It’s up to us to try and give them that encouragement because they’re desperate for something to get behind and we want to try and deliver a big performance.”

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And McInnes added: “We certainly need to get more bodies in the box at times. We need to play with a bit more risk with our play. We need to be less safe.

“We can attack with a bit of purpose and a bit of intent without playing last five minutes football for 90 minutes.”

Team news

Rangers confirmed on Tuesday striker Youssef Chermiti would be out for a significant period after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury against Hibernian.

Left-back Tuur Rommens has been ruled out up to eight weeks after picking up a groin problem, joining fellow injured defender Ben Godfrey on the sidelines.

And midfielder Mohamed Diomande has been sold to Turkey’s Coram.