Ibrox pitch concerns Prandelli April 23 2008
Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli has expressed concerns about the state of the Ibrox pitch ahead of Thursday's UEFA Cup tie against Rangers.
Prandelli took the opportunity to have a look at the playing surface ahead of Wednesday evening's press conference at the stadium in Glasgow and was far from impressed by what he saw.
The pitch was relaid in January after a Scottish Cup tie against East Stirling fell victim to the weather.
But Prandelli fears the surface could have an impact on the semi-final, fist-leg clash and even result in injury to his players.
He said: "Because the pitch is not in perfect condition we will have to be extra careful.
"We will have to be careful from an injury point of view and also because of the way the ball could bounce in different directions."
However, defender Alessandro Gamberini is hoping Viola can use the pitch to their advantage.
He said: "I just saw the pitch five minutes ago and I expected it to be in better condition. But the fact that we have to be careful about the pitch will probably help our concentration."
The Gers will be without several key players for the crucial tie, with skipper Barry Ferguson and Kevin Thomson suspended and several more injured.
Prandelli continued: "Of course Ferguson is a very important player so he will be a big loss for Rangers."
But he did not expect injuries to goalkeeper Allan McGregor, Lee McCulloch, Steven Naismith, Chris Burke and Charlie Adam to greatly affect Light Blues' chances.
He said: "I know they have very important players missing but when you have a team that plays in so many competitions you always risk injuries.
"We had the same problems throughout this season but we had the character to play all the matches."
Prandelli also expects Walter Smith's side to go for the jugular ahead of next week's visit to Florence insisting their hosts will not be willing to settle for a goalless draw in Glasgow.
He said: "I have seen many of the matches from Rangers and I know they do a lot of pressing. They prefer more circulation of the ball rather than using high-balls."