RUI VITORIA admits he’s in the dark about what kind of Rangers he will face – but the Panathinaikos boss insists his side will be ready for anything.
The Ibrox club have a new manager in Russell Martin and all their pre-season games bar their home friendly with Club Brugge have been behind closed doors.
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Six new signings have also come through the door since Martin moved into the hotseat, leaving Vitoria unable to unearth many facts for his players ahead of tomorrow’s first leg clash.
He said: “Yes it was a challenge for me because we didn’t see almost any game. The new coach has new ideas and it’s different football than was played here previously.
“They have only played one friendly match against Brugge which was open. The rest were closed so it was very difficult for us to have a lot of information.
“This makes our job and my job as a trainer a bit more difficult. We have tried to find the information we need but we are in the beginning of the season. Details make a difference and we don’t know them.
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“Maybe their new coach has more information about us than we do about them but we don’t worry too much.
“We control what we can control. So what is very important is the attitude and concentration and these things can make all the difference in these games.
“I’m not preoccupied about this but this is a reality. It might be a positive thing but also it could be a disadvantage.
“You cannot know how the course of the game will go. Every game is different and at this stage of the season it’s even more difficult.
“Normally I want to know about the other team but I don’t cry because of that. I face the opponent and let’s fight to the limit and put everything on the pitch.”
Former Benfica boss Vitoria has been a manager for 23 years but this will be the first time he has faced Scottish opposition, even as a player.
But he is well aware of Panathinaikos’ unbeaten seven-game run against Scottish opposition, as well as Greece’s recent Nations League triumph over Steve Clarke’s Scotland national team side earlier this year.
Vitoria said: “It will be the first time I’ll play against a team from Scotland. Of course it’s a football I appreciate and I appreciate the evolution the football has had in the last years with the good ideas.
“The atmosphere is always fantastic but when we go to the pitch we will only focus on the first 11 of the team.
“We study all we can but my first impression about football here is fantastic. A good atmosphere is what I keep in my memory.
“As for the record between Greek teams and Scottish teams in general, I know the history but I don’t believe in these kind of standard happenings.
“The fact Greek teams showed they have generally beaten Scottish teams? We respect Rangers but we have ambitions and values.
“I recognise and respect Rangers. They are well known and have good values, they have good players.
“The most important word is concentration. What is important also is the character of the player and the team.”
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Pana right-back Georgios Vagiannidis played the full 90 minutes of that Greece win at Hampden in March.
He thinks the stability in his side could give them an edge against a Rangers side still getting to know each other.
Vagiannidis said: “It’s important our trainer is the same one as last year and also the main column of our team, the players, are also the same.
“Our fans came to the training centre to see us. So many came out under a very heavy sun and in very hot weather.
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“This gave us a lot of pleasure and confidence because we feel the fans are with us.
“I hope in the second leg at the Olympic Stadium we are going to give them what they deserve. We consider this pressure as a very good base for success.We have to have a clear mind and way of thinking.”
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