KONRAD Laimer, the Austrian internationalist who is set to start for RB Leipzig in the Europa League semi-final match against Rangers tonight, has predicted the hostile Ibrox atmosphere will bring out the very best in him and his team mates.
The Scottish champions have been lifted by their home supporters in the knockout rounds of the competition this season and performed brilliantly against Borussia Dortmund, Red Star Belgrade and Braga.
A 50,000-strong crowd will cram into the Govan ground to see the second leg encounter with Leipzig this evening and Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men, who trail Domenico Tedesco’s charges 1-0, will be buoyed by their presence.
But midfielder Laimer, who has helped the Bundesliga outfit to beat Real Sociedad and Atalanta away in the previous two rounds, stressed he is looking forward to the experience and insisted the visitors will respond positively to the reception they are given.
“We know that it will be loud tomorrow,” he said. “We can prepare for that. Nobody will be surprised if it's louder than usual tomorrow.
“For me, it’s a wonderful feeling to play in such a stadium. That's why we play football. And when you are prepared for it then of course you can then cope with it better. The atmosphere won’t be a surprise for us tomorrow. I actually like such an atmosphere and it only motivates me more.”
Leipzig have played 54 games in domestic and continental competitions since August and their back-to-back Bundesliga defeats to Union Berlin and Borussia Monchengladbach have been attributed by some in Germany to fatigue.
However, Laimer is confident that the Saxony outfit will be able to perform at a high level and book a place in the final against either Eintracht Frankfurt or West Ham in Seville on May 18.
“I think that tomorrow when we go out we have already had quite a few games,” he said. “But we are on fire, it’s the semi-final, we want to give our best and enjoy the game.
“Of course, your head can also make a huge difference in this sport. But we are all fresh in our heads and mentally prepared to cope with tomorrow. It’s our intention to get to the final. That’s what we intend to do tomorrow.”
