Glasgow Rangers defender Leon Balogun has issued a stern warning to his teammates ahead of their UEFA Europa League round of 16 second-leg clash with Fenerbahce on Thursday, urging them to stay focused and perform at their best.
Rangers head into the home fixture with a 3-1 advantage from the first leg in Turkey, thanks to a standout performance by Cyriel Dessers. Despite the positive result, Balogun is wary of Fenerbahce and their coach, Jose Mourinho, and he emphasized that the tie is far from decided.
The Scottish champions had the weekend off, giving them ample time to prepare for Thursday’s crucial match. However, Balogun made it clear that the team’s primary focus should remain on Fenerbahce and not the upcoming Old Firm derby against Celtic on Sunday.
“It’s a big week with two important fixtures,” Balogun said in an interview with Daily Record. “Obviously, Fenerbahce is first up, and we had a very good result over there, but we’re going against the Special One with some very good players, and I think it’s far from over.”
Balogun stressed the importance of taking one game at a time and not getting distracted by the weekend’s local derby. “Right now, the main focus is getting through to the next round in Europe. We have to focus on Fenerbahce. I’m sorry to be boring!” he added.
Despite the strong result in Turkey, Balogun is fully aware of Mourinho’s ability to turn a tie around. “It was a really good result and performance, but this is Mourinho, and I’m sure he will have a few tricks up his sleeve. He wouldn’t have been happy at all after the tie over there, but there’s a lot of confidence for us to take. We can probably up our game in terms of being on the ball,” the Nigerian centre-back said.
Rangers have been consistent in European competition in recent years, becoming the only Scottish side to secure an away win in Fenerbahce’s home ground over the past 20 years. The club also reached the UEFA Europa League final in 2022, where they drew 1-1 with Eintracht Frankfurt before losing 5-4 on penalties after extra time.
With a strong performance in Turkey behind them, Balogun and Rangers will be looking to finish the job and secure their place in the quarter-finals.
