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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
David Irvine

James Tavernier warns Rangers must learn from Servette Champions League win

James Tavernier has warned Rangers must learn from their Champions League qualifying win over Servette.

The Ibrox captain - who scored the all-important leveller in Geneva - insists his side will improve at both ends of the pitch.

"You don't really want to waste 45 minutes so we will learn from this," said Tavernier. "It will be a big tie at home next Tuesday.

"I felt that we built well going through up to their final third, maybe we just crossed it too soon or we just weren't clinical with our final pass but it was probably more defensively how we let them through us a bit too easy with our shape. 

"It is something we will learn from. You obviously can't afford to lose that many minutes in a vital game.

"The most important thing is that we are through to the next round. Disappointed to not get a clean sheet but obviously happy to get to the next round."

On the defensive performance, Tavernier added: "I just think it is a new team with a lot of new players. If one person is just out of position a little bit it can affect it.

"It is about gelling together, continuing to work hard on the training pitch and we showed it really well in the second half.

"It is definitely there but it is just being fully concentrated throughout the whole game and not wasting any minutes."

The aggregate victory over Servette sets up a play-off tie clash with PSV Eindhoven with the first leg at Ibrox next week.

Rangers dumped the Dutch club out at the same stage last season but Tavernier has refused to read too much into the previous encounters last season. 

"You have got to wipe it completely clean," he said of facing PSV again. "It is obviously a different team, we are a different team. "I'm sure we'll be seeing a familiar face in Malik [Tillman] when we get over there or he comes over but we will fully concentrate on ourselves. 

"It is a massive game for us at Ibrox first leg and we have to put a real marker down and stand us in good stead for the second leg."

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