Sparta Prague boss Brian Priske has urged his supporters to behave themselves and respect Rangers ahead of Thursday's Europa League showdown.
Philippe Clement's side travel to Prague looking to get their Europa campaign back on track after defeat to Aris Limassol on matchday two.
Rangers return to Prague for the first time since 2021 when thousands of schoolkids targeted Glen Kamara with boos after he was racially abused by Slavia Prague defender Ondrej Kudela the previous season.
Ahead of this week's clash, Sparta boss Priske has called for respect ahead of an important match for both teams.
He said: “First of all I think it’s important to stay in the present, to keep looking ahead and not to look back on what happened some years ago or where some players have played. I’m not sure that’s important.
“What I think is definitely important is a message from me, not just to our fans but also to the fans of Rangers. We all know what happened some years ago, so I think it’s important for sure to send the statement that players, staff, everybody is here to perform a really nice game, a really top game at our absolute highest.
“We know that we have here some amazing fans who have been doing amazingly over these past few months. So we can only encourage them to go all in like they normally do, cheering for our boys, lifting our team.
“We as a club need to – and this also goes for Rangers because I know they have a lot fans coming in – create an amazing atmosphere that we can all be proud of in this country. We need to send a signal that we are pro-football and that racism doesn’t belong whatsoever in football in any aspect. That’s definitely what I – and we – would like to encourage. We want our fans to send the signal, a strong signal, to everybody watching this game that we are here to play football and to lift our own boys."
Sparta also released a statement welcoming Rangers and their supporters to Prague.
It read: “We are looking forward to hosting you, your club and your team at our stadium for the UEFA Europa League match on Thursday. We will provide you with top level services and professional cooperation.
“We believe our both games in Prague and in Glasgow are great opportunities to highlight the long tradition of two successful and proud clubs with their loyal fans.
“We would like to thank Rangers FC representatives for their assistance with the preparation of the match. Have a safe trip to Prague. See you at the Stadium.
“AC Sparta Praha - Rangers FC. The new chapter.”
