Giovanni van Bronckhorst says Rangers fringe players a chance against Lyon in Europa League

Giovanni van Bronckhorst will use fringe players in their final Europa League group match in Lyon; they lost to the French side at Ibrox in September; the Ibrox side have qualified for the knockout stages; Leon Balogun won't travel for the game

By Alison Conroy

Wednesday 8 December 2021 12:19, UK

Giovanni van Bronckhorst says he will give Rangers fringe players a chance to prove themselves in their final Europa League group match against Lyon on Thursday.

The Ibrox side have already secured second place in Group A behind their French opponents, meaning the match in Lyon is effectively meaningless.

That means Rangers boss Van Brockhorst will give minutes to some players who have been struggling for game time.

"One of the downsides of being a coach with a big squad with good players is always having to disappoint players every game," he said.

"That's something that isn't easy to do, so when you have the chance to give those players a chance to play it's always good, it's a nice feeling.

"Some players haven't played much over the last few weeks but they've given everything in training and their mentality is really good."

The manager also confirmed defender Leon Balogun, who has been out since their League Cup semi-final defeat to Hibs, will still not be fit enough to make the trip.

"I have to watch closely the physical state of my players," he said.

"It's also a game where I can change some positions giving other players minutes who need them. I'm more than comfortable to do that for a good game tomorrow evening."

Rangers cannot catch Lyon in first place in the group with a win and Van Bronckhorst is well aware of the challenges the French side will pose.

He said: "Of course, it's a challenge because I think challenges are really good. In challenges, you face you will develop as a coach but also as a team.

"It is a very experienced side with some quality players so in that aspect we can expect a very tough opponent but I'm confident my team will play well against them.

"It's not going to be an easy game but it's also a game to prepare so there will be some slight changes in our technical plan to make sure we have a good result against Lyon as well but this is what it is."

The Dutchman is hoping Rangers fans will still travel to Lyon for the game after a second U-turn by French authorities.

Rangers fan lockout overturned for Lyon game

Supporters were told on Tuesday they would be allowed to attend the match at the Groupama Stadium, just 24 hours after telling them the 2,200 tickets they had been given by the French club would not be honoured because of a government ruling.

Addressing the fact the match is a dead rubber, Van Bronckhorst added: "These games are always special because there's nothing at stake so when you win or lose it doesn't matter.

"I think both teams and managers of both teams want to win every game so for me it's the same as for Peter Bosz. I expect some changes also with Lyon, they have some injury problems but they have a very big squad so in the end we'll face a strong Lyon side with a lot of quality."