ertuğrul sağlam wants bursaspor to end the campaign with their first points at home to a rangers fc side whose manager walter smith is himself eager to lay a 36-year-old ghost to rest.
bursaspor's debut uefa champions league campaign ends with the visit of rangers fc on tuesday and ertuğrul sağlam is keen to secure their first points as he begins to turn his mind to returning to europe next season. rangers, who beat bursaspor 1-0 at home, will finish third in group c and go into the uefa europa league round of 32. yet manager walter smith is still keen for a good result in turkey – and to reverse a loss he suffered in bursa 36 years ago.
ertuğrul sağlam, bursaspor coach
after the draw we thought manchester united and valencia had a great chance of reaching the next round, while bursaspor and rangers would battle for third place. in order to achieve this we needed a positive result from our visit to glasgow but we failed to get one. tomorrow's game is a chance to collect our first points. it's important for us to finish our first ever champions league campaign with a win by playing entertaining football. it won't be easy though.
the matches we have played have formed a good basis for next season's european games, if we make it. we're currently second in this league and very hopeful about this goal. rangers are a very good team. i believe they can go far in the uefa europa league.
walter smith, rangers manager
this game is as important as our previous champions league matches. we'll do our best to win it. this season we performed better in the champions league compared to the past. i expect an improvement in our performance following christmas. in 1974/75 i came to bursa for a cup winners' cup match as a dundee united player. we lost 1-0 but this time we want a better result, a victory.
bursaspor had a poor run in the group. i expect them to play hard to win their last game in front of their own supporters. although the positions of both teams have already been decided in the group, i expect a big game tomorrow.
team news
bursaspor
sercan yıldırım shook off a minor hamstring injury to line up on the bench against beşiktaş jk at the weekend, but ibrahim öztürk was replaced just after the half-hour after picking up a knock and is ruled out. ali tandoğan suffered a minor skull fracture against antalyaspor on 6 november and will also miss the rangers game while damián steinert is a doubt with a dislocated shoulder.
rangers
madjid bougherra has recovered from a hamstring strain while james beattie, who has played only five minutes since 11 september due to thigh and hip injures, could play up front if kenny miller is rested. maurice edu (knee), saša papac (head), andrew little (hernia), kyle lafferty (hand), kirk broadfoot (ankle) and andy webster (hamstring) are missing.
weekend results 05/12/10 beşiktaş jk 1-0 bursaspor (hološko 65)
volkan şen was sent off just before half-time as the crocs suffered their first away league defeat in 11 matches. filip hološko's goal was the first bursaspor have conceded after the interval in the süper lig this season. sağlam's side have won just three of their last 14 games in all competitions.
rangers have not played since matchday 5 after their premier league meetings with dundee united fc and heart of midlothian fc were postponed due to adverse weather conditions.
did you know?
smith was a 26-year-old defender in the dundee united side beaten 1-0 by bursaspor in the 1974/74 uefa cup winners' cup second round second leg following a goalless draw in scotland. european debutants bursaspor lost to fc dynamo kyiv in the quarter-finals, which remains their best uefa competition run.
