James Tavernier hopes Ibrox atmosphere can help Rangers rattle RB Leipzig

Rangers captain James Tavernier hopes a packed Ibrox can unnerve RB Leipzig in their Europa League semi-final on Thursday night.

The Bundesliga outfit have a 1-0 advantage from the first leg in Germany last week which the Light Blues will have to overcome if they are to reach a European final for the first time in 14 years.

Tavernier believes a raucous home crowd on a European night in Govan can help the Gers get off to a flyer, as they did against Braga in the previous round when he scored an early goal as Rangers came back from a 1-0 first-leg defeat to win 3-2 on aggregate after extra time.

The full-back said: “I hope our atmosphere can affect them.

“You saw the Braga game when we got an early goal and that really kicked us on.

“We’d obviously like to replicate that with an early goal and really get after them.

“We have seen really good teams come to Ibrox and struggle sometimes. I hope that is the case tomorrow night.

“As a team, we just have to try and make it as hard as possible and do everything we can to get the right result and limit their chances, because we obviously know they are going to be a threat.

“I think there will maybe be a little bit of nerves, but we are playing at home in front of 50,000 fans.

“It’s another good team being put in front of us. Another team of 11 players.

“The boys will soak it up. We know the fans will be right behind us. That’s what we want and that’s what we’ll need.

“All we can do is give it our best, give it our all and leave everything on that pitch to have no regrets.

“If we do that then we have every fighting chance to get into a final.”

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