Smith desperate for away goal March 12 2008
Rangers manager Walter Smith has emphasised the importance of grabbing an away goal against Werder Bremen on Thursday after snatching an amazing win at Ibrox last week.
Bremen's 2-0 defeat in Glasgow last week means the Germans face elimination from the UEFA Cup unless they can rout Rangers at the Weserstadion.
Smith believes the game is shaping up to be "one of the toughest matches" Rangers will play all season.
But while his troops ride a 20-game unbeaten streak into the crucial away game, Bremen come off a 6-3 defeat at fallen German champions Stuttgart.
And the Rangers boss claims his side scoring in Germany on Thursday night could shatter Bremen's hopes of reaching the quarter-finals.
He is being cautious, knowing his players must take nothing for granted against the struggling Germans.
"I don't think we are in a commanding position," he said.
"We won the first leg 2-0 at home, and Bremen will think they can do the same on their home ground."
But he added: "It is an advantage for us, especially if we can manage to get a goal."
Smith has no doubts the hosts, who have a history of staging stunning comebacks in Europe, will come out gunning for goals from the first whistle.
"At Ibrox they attacked at every opportunity. They have a reputation of being a tough home team. We know we are in for a very tough evening defensively," Smith said.
"But for us to make the most out of the first-leg result we have to at least score one goal ourselves and I think that will be an important factor."
The 60-year-old coach believes keeping Bremen quiet in the early stages, or at least keeping them off the scoresheet, could be vital.
"There will be more chances for us the longer the game goes," he added.
"The longer the game goes and it stays 0-0 we'll have more opportunities to break away.
"But the main thing is to keep the score 0-0."
Smith will be without Daniel Cousin, who scored but also fractured his jaw in the first leg.
Cousin's fellow striker Jean-Claude Darcheville (Achilles) is also out, while Lee McCulloch (thigh), who is another candidate for a role up front, faces a fitness race.
"Darcheville is not fit to play," revealed Smith. "He might make Sunday's CIS Cup final but we don't think he is quite ready for this game."
In contrast to Rangers, who are in the running for four titles this season, the UEFA Cup may present Bremen with their final chance to get their hands on silverware.
They have already crashed out of the German Cup and are seven points behind leaders Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.
To make matters worse, Brazilian star midfielder Diego and striker Aaron Hunt were involved in a dressing-room bust-up following the 2-0 defeat at Ibrox.
Then came Bremen's embarrassing 6-3 weekend defeat at Stuttgart, however Smith does not consider that result a big issue.
He explained: "I don't think the loss at Stuttgart was as clear-cut as the result suggests.
"We managed to see the game on television and Bremen did well early in the match. They were in that game for a long time."
The Rangers boss is aware of how much there will be at stake on Thursday night.
Smith said: "We know that the game tomorrow night will be one of the toughest we play all season. It is obviously a tough task."