Nicolas Raskin and Rangers determined to get the better of Celtic
The Old Firm meet in the Scottish Cup semi-final
Last updated 27th Apr 2023
Nicolas Raskin revealed that Rangers will be driven by two key objectives as they bid to topple city rivals Celtic in Sunday's Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden.
With the Hoops 13 points clear at the top of the Premiership and unbeaten in the four meetings between the teams so far this season, the Belgian midfielder is desperate for Gers to finally enjoy an Old Firm derby victory and keep alive their last remaining hopes of silverware.
"It's very important for two reasons," he told Sky Sports. "We need to win something for the season and it is our last chance. And also we want to win against them.
"We've now lost two games (against Celtic) since I came. I think the last game was close. We are not too far from them. I'm sure we can do something in the semi-final, I'm sure if we play our best we can do something good. We have to go there with a strong mentality and go for it."
Raskin has already experienced facing Celtic at Hampden, with his first Glasgow derby bringing a 2-1 defeat against Ange Postecoglou's side in the Viaplay Cup final in February. The 22-year-old would love to be on the other side of the result this weekend.
"The atmosphere was great, the half-and-half stadium was great, now we want to make our fans proud," he said.
"The last time we lost this game and it was painful to see them enjoying it with their fans and see our fans sad. We will go for it.
"I am waiting to play in the Old Firm game at our stadium, I have played there (at Celtic Park) and Hampden.
"You can feel the atmosphere, it is great. When you have 60,000 that are so passionate you can feel it, it is something you don't see in every country.
"You need to see it and feel it to understand what it is."
Raskin joined Rangers from Standard Liege in January and he explained that one of the main things he has had to adapt to is facing opponents who sit deep when they go up against his team.
"I've learned that the standards at Rangers need to be high every day in training," he said. "For every aspect - nutrition, training or sleep - you need to put your standards higher. I'm trying to do this and improve myself.
"I wouldn't say the pace of the game is faster in Scotland than I imagined but it is different. It is a different type of game.
"Here you can face teams that just go down (deep) and then counter so you need to adapt the way you play.
"It's good for me because I am learning to play against a low block and how to create chances against a team playing a low block.
"It's never easy for a team to play against a low-block team that defend well. It's good for me to see every type of team."
Ally McCoist
Ally McCoist is the clubs' record goal scorer, landing 355 goals in his 581 appearances. He played for the club from 1983-1998. McCoist also won two back-to-back European Golden Shoe's, in 1991/92 and 1992/93. While playing for Rangers, McCoist won 20 trophies.
The club legend managed the side from 2011-2015, where he won a League One title and a Third division title.
John Greig
Often called 'the greatest Ranger', Greig holds the record for the most appearances made for the side. He made 755 appearances between 1961-1978, where he also scored 120 goals and won 16 trophies.
Sandy Jardine
Right back Sandy Jardine made 674 appearances for Rangers and scored 77 goals. Jardine won two domestic trebles in 1975/76 and 1977/78. Jardine won 14 trophies at Rangers, including their only European trophy.
Davie Cooper
Davie Cooper made 540 appearances for Rangers where he scored 75 goals. He won 13 trophies while at the club.
Bill Struth
Bill Struth was the second manager of Rangers Football Club, and lead the club for 34 years between 1920 and 1954. Struth won a record 18 Scottish league championships, 10 Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups.
Walter Smith
Smith managed Rangers from 1991-1998, where he won 13 major trophies in seven years, including seven league titles in succession. He returned to Rangers in January 2007, where we went on to win eight trophies during his second spell as Rangers manager and guided the team to the 2008 UEFA Cup Final. This would be Walter Smith's final managerial job as he retired in 2011.
Brain Laudrup
Brian Laudrup won three consecutive league titles for rangers between 1994 and 1998. He scored 44 goals in his 150 appearances.
Paul Gascoigne
Paul Gascoigne played for Rangers from 1995-1998, where he won two consecutive titles and two doubles. Gazza scored 39 goals in his 103 appearances.
Richard Gough
Richard Gough played for Rangers from 1987-1998 where he won 18 trophies, including nine consecutive Scottish Premier Division titles. The right back made 244 appearances and scored 37 goals.
Moses McNeil
Alongside William McBeath, Peter Campbell and his brother, Peter McNeil, Moses McNeil is one of the founding members of Rangers Football Club. In May 1872, Rangers played their first ever match against Callander F.C. at Glasgow Green's Flesher's Haugh, which resulted in a 0–0 draw.
Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Greatest Hits Radio app.