Rangers 'fight with history' laid bare by Philippe Clement as boss looks to finally break Malmo hoodoo

Philippe Clement admits Rangers are in a fight against history as they look to end their wretched record against Malmo.

The Light Blues are in Sweden for their Europa League opener at the Eleda Stadion on Thursday. But the Ibrox side will have to do something they’ve never managed if they want to kick off the tournament with three points. In the club’s four previous clashes against the Sky Blues, the best they’ve managed is the 1-1 draw Ally McCoist’s side recorded in the first leg of their 2011 Champions League qualifier.

Gers went on to lose the Glasgow return, a deflating feat they repeated twice under Steven Gerrard three years ago as they again failed to make it through to Uefa’s premier competition. But Clement insists his team are ready to write a new chapter in the record books. He said: “It’s a very interesting game. I saw the stats from Rangers the last couple of years against Malmo, and they are not really good.

“We have a fight with history in that way. The team is very motivated to show a good face, and to grow again, like they've been growing the last couple of weeks, to make the next step. It's about going full in this game against a good opponent, a very good opponent who plays good offensive football, who are top of the league, who have a lot of experience in Europe with a lot of players, so everybody's excited to play this game.”

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