Super Eagles-Rangers duo, Leon Balogun and Cyriel Kolawole Dessers are heavily prepared for their UEFA Champions League qualifier against Dynamo Kyiv tonight, Soccernet.ng reports.
The duo played in the final of the Scottish Cup on the 25th of May last season, as they lost to their rivals, Celtic, alongside bottling the league title to Green and Whites.
Their position in the league meant the absence of automatic qualification to the group phase of the UEFA Champions League.
Tonight, in Round Three of the UEFA Champions League qualifiers, Philippe Clement’s men take on Dynamo Kyiv at the Lublin Arena in Poland for the first leg away from home. The second leg will be played at the Ibrox Stadium next week Tuesday, and the winner of the tie will take on whoever emerges victorious from the clash between RB Salzburg and FC Twente in the final qualification round.
👊 IT’S MATCHDAY! 👊
🆚 @DynamoKyiv
🏆 @ChampionsLeague QR3
🏟️ Arena Lublin
⏰ 19:00 (UK)
📺 Live on RangersTV (exc UK)Come on #RangersFC 💙 pic.twitter.com/rAU3S5fLGG
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) August 6, 2024
Dessers, who was under fire after he hit the crossbar in Rangers’ SPFL opener against Hearts last Saturday, has revealed his side are keen to give whatever it takes to qualify for the next round.
“The Champions League is the biggest stage in International club football, so, obviously as a team, as a club, you need ambition to get there and we’ll try to do that. Dynamo Kyiv is a good team, and we’ve seen that from the results of the previous rounds. They are a very good team, and a few high-quality players and we’ll need to be at the top of our game. That’s what we want if we want to be in the Champions League, then you need to play against teams like this,” the Nigerian forward said in an interview with the club’s official website.
In the same vein, Dessers’ international compatriot, Leon Balogun, who renewed his stay at the club for another year last summer, is also keen to play in the UEFA Champions League.
“I think everyone is very determined to put in a good performance. There’s been a big turnaround, but we have to step up and they’re hungry. There’s no greater motivation in club football than playing in the UEFA Champions League and that is one we have to be up for. They’re a good footballing side, but we’ve also got quality, and we’ll try to play our football and get a win. It’s a big motivation for me, I’ve never played in the Champions League before and at this stage of my career, it’ll be a nice achievement and that’s my personal motivation,” the 36-year-old added.
Dessers and Balogun featured in Rangers’ opening league game against Hearts on Saturday. The game ended in a goalless draw.
