Dutch legends Wim Kieft and Ernie Brandts fear Rangers will target PSV Eindhoven's dodgy defensive duo Armando Obispo and Jordan Teze this week in the Champions League showdown. And former PSV hero Kieft reckons Rangers should have had a stonewall penalty in the first leg at Ibrox.
Rangers travel to the Philips Stadium for the second leg on Wednesday with the tie delicately balanced after a 2-2 first leg in Glasgow. However Kieft - who won Euro 88 with the Netherlands and is a former European Golden Boot winner - is far from convinced at his former club's rearguard.
He said: "I have severe reservations about Armando Obispo and Jordan Teze. For me, they are not good enough to reach the levels that PSV wants to aspire to. I know Teze was recently called up by our national coach Louis van Gaal, but he is a wild player, sloppy in possession and unreliable as a defender. For example, he got away with a handball at Ibrox. When you move your arm towards the ball as he did, then it's a penalty. He escaped this time which I was very surprised at because it seemed very obvious it was a handball and a penalty on the television replays.
"What I would say though is that I am not worried about PSV goalkeeper Walter Benitez, even though he made that terrible mistake at Ibrox. He is normally very reliable and there's a good head on the boy. It was a one-off.”
And Kieft’s former team-mate and fellow legend Brandts has warned the current team not to make the same mistake as he did by underestimating Rangers after the first leg...44 years after one of the Ibrox club's finest European away wins. Rangers are underdogs now to make it through to the Group Stages of the Champions League after a 2-2 draw at Ibrox in the first leg. However, the Ibrox side can take encouragement from a famous win in the same competition in 1978 against PSV.
Rangers had knocked out Juventus in the first round, but were up against it after a goalless draw at Ibrox against PSV in the first leg. The Eindhoven side were the UEFA Cup holders and featured six Dutch players who had just reached the World Cup Final a few months previously. They had also never lost a European game in their Philips Stadion.
However, despite going a goal down after just 34 seconds, Rangers eventually claimed a stunning 3-2 win with Bobby Russell netting a last-gasp winner. Brandts made over 300 appearances for PSV and later went on to become assistant manager at the club, but the 66-year-old admits he's still bitter at losing to Rangers back then.
He recalled: "A lot was expected of us against Rangers then because we were UEFA Cup holders and had so many of the players who delivered a great performance at the World Cup in Argentina. What happened was that we were too tired. We hardly had any break at all after the World Cup. We had pretty much played continuously all the way through.
"Rest at this stage of the season is so important, that's why I think PSV have played it smart by cancelling their game at the weekend. They should be ready for the second leg. We were all very confident we would beat Rangers especially after Harry Lubse had scored such an early goal for us. Perhaps we were complacent.
"We somehow lost and even now it hurts. To tell the truth, the second leg is something I hadn't remembered for years and I don't want to! Hopefully, PSV don't make the same mistake this week. PSV are sometimes not tight enough at the back. I noticed that against Rangers and Monaco. They give teams opportunities.
"They allowed their opponent too much time on the ball and Rangers got in behind them. For me, PSV are too fragile defensively. They need to defend from the front. Xavi Simons is key because he play football that hurts the opposition and he can score goals. I think if PSV tightens up at the back, they will go through.
"I know Ruud van Nistelrooy very well. In fact, I was at the club when he was recovering from a knee injury that kept him out for nine months and I know how he thinks. He doesn't leave anything behind and demands the same from his team, And I think he will lead them to the Champions League."
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