Rangers ‘determined’ to succeed against Leipzig for late kit man Jimmy Bell

Jimmy Bell, left, served Rangers for 30 years and was a popular figure at the club Venue: Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow Date: Thursday, 5 May Kick-off: 20:00 BST Coverage: Updates on BBC Radio Scotland DAB/810MW and BBC Sport website & app

Rangers are “determined” to make Jimmy Bell proud when they face RB Leipzig in Thursday’s Europa League semi-final decider, says Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

The club’s kitman, who had worked at Ibrox for more than 30 years, died suddenly earlier this week.

Van Bronckhorst’s side trail 1-0 from the first leg in Germany and the manager is unsure whether Kemar Roofe and Aaron Ramsey will be fit.

“We were all very shocked about the news of Jimmy,” said the Dutchman.

“It was a hard day for all of us. We are still in shock, we talked about him and shared our personal stories about Jimmy. It was a really big game already, but we are even more determined now to make Jimmy proud.

“We still mourn and are down but the character, belief and determination of my players are there and we will do everything to reach the final.

“The fans will always be important for us at home, they are a big factor. It will be a noisy night. It will be emotional and we will be ready when the whistle goes.”

Team news

Van Bronckhorst said midfielder Ramsey and forward Roofe will be given “as long as possible” to prove their fitness after missing the past three games.

Ianis Hagi and Alfredo Morelos are definitely out for the hosts.

Leizpig defenders Willi Orban and Mohamed Simakan as well as midfielder Kevin Kampl are available after missing the first leg through suspension.

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What they said

Rangers captain James Tavernier: “I know Jimmy wouldn’t want the fuss, he would want us to roll our socks up and get stuck in. Everyone will be ready to go from the first whistle.

“It personally means a lot to me in a European semi-final, it has been some journey. We have always wanted to improve every year from the board to the players. It would be an unbelievable achievement if we could reach the final.”

What did we learn from the first leg?

In a tight game, Leipzig had the best openings and missed at least one gilt-edged chance before eventually netting near the end.

Until Angelino’s excellent 85th-minute volley, Van Bronckhorst’s side had the right tactical set-up – restricting the German side’s space and time on the ball.

It was at the other end that Rangers struggled at times, with the absence of their injured central strikers particularly noticeable in the first half. They improved after the break and had one or two moments in the Leipzig box.

Leipzig arrive in Glasgow after suffering a second successive Bundesliga defeat, going down 3-1 at Borussia Monchengladbach on Monday to sit a point outside the top four.

Match stats