Smith orders Rangers to throw off Old Trafford shackles

(PA)

Walter Smith has promised there will be no repeat of Rangers' ultra-defensive display at Old Trafford last time out when they face Turkish champions Bursaspor in the Champions League at Ibrox tonight.

Smith's side might have a 100 per cent record so far in the Scottish Premier League but they showed little ambition in going for a win against Manchester United in their first Group C game. Nevertheless, Smith believes a flexible tactical approach will pay off for Rangers this season.

"We have started well enough in a domestic sense. Going into the Champions League is a step up in level, there is no doubt about that, and you have to make adjustments to that," Smith said yesterday.

"I don't think just now that Scottish clubs, or clubs in smaller countries, can play against top European sides without having to make a certain adjustment to how they play. I don't think we could approach Champions League games as we would do our average SPL game.

"We will make the necessary adjustment at home and that adjustment will be the better balance between our attacking and defending. We certainly can't go and play in the manner that we did against Manchester United."

Rangers lost all three group games at home in the competition last season and Smith hopes they have learned from the heavy defeats they suffered against Seville and Unirea Urziceni at Ibrox.

"I don't think after the home form last season we could go into any game in the Champions League as the favoured team," he said. "We would hope we would do better at home this season. We need to achieve a far better balance between our attacking and defending than we have so far.

"All we have to do is concentrate on better performances at home this season than we had last season, that's the main objective from our own point of view. Our away form last season, for the Champions League, wasn't too bad. It was our home form that was really disappointing and we have to make sure that we make the adjustment."

Rangers (probable, 4-4-2): McGregor; Broadfoot, Weir, Bougherra, Papac; Naismith, Davis, McCulloch, Weiss; Lafferty, Miller

Bursaspor (probable, 4-4-2): Yavuz; Tandogan, Ömer, Ibrahim, Vederson; Steinert, Has, Hüseyin, Ipek; Turgay, Núñez.

Referee S Gumienny (Bel).

TV Sky Sports 4, HD4.