Caixinha to deliver on promise: Three things we expect from Rangers in clash v Motherwell
COMMENT
By Abigail Withey
Rangers are set to make a grand return to the Scottish Premiership this weekend and they face Motherwell away in their opening clash of the season.
Pedro Caixinha’s side will travel to Fir Park on Sunday to kick off what will hopefully be a better second season back in the Premiership. .
Last season the Light Blues finished in third position and 39 points behind rivals Celtic, who bagged the domestic treble without losing a game.
However, the slate has been wiped now – that’s been consigned to history and Rangers will be looking for a fast start against Motherwell.
These are three things we expect to happen on Sunday…
Best XI?
Caixinha signed nine new players during his first transfer window, including Graham Dorrans, Bruno Alves and Dalcio.
Caixinha will be looking for big things from his new players and especially from the hugely experienced Bruno Alves – absent from the disastrous games that saw Rangers knocked out of the Europa League in June/July.
However, while options are good, Caixinha hasn’t had the best pre-season. The Europa League defeat scuppered their plans and he may now be faced with building his best side on the fly.
It’s essential his team get off to a good start and it’s possible that the Motherwell game could be way more significant than just the three points.
Winning mentality
Pedro Caixinha promised a winning mentality at the end of last season and will be looking for it in the opening game.
During an interview with BBC Sport in May the 46-year-old boss stated that the first step for the club was to “build a squad” and that the second was to “create a winning mentality”.
A big win against Motherwell could settle the XI and see Rangers in confident mood ahead of their home game the following weekend.
There have been promising signs already in pre-season, after beating Watford 2-1 last week and securing a 2-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday last Sunday.
More of the same will be hugely welcomed by Rangers fans on Sunday.
Make some noise!
This weekend and throughout the season you can expect more support from Rangers fans than ever before.
Supporters at the Ibrox have been consistently hailed as the best fans by players and managers alike.
Fans have already got themselves behind the players by selling out Ibrox for the first home league game on August 12 – almost two weeks before kick-off.
The players can’t ask for more than that and the loyal fans that travel to Fir Park will start the noise that Caixinha hopes will continue throughout the season.
In other Rangers news, this 23-year-old has responded to interest from England.