Giggs relishing Rangers trip

Our regular UEFA Champions League diarist, Manchester United FC and Wales winger Ryan Giggs, returns to share his thoughts with uefa.com. In the third instalment, Giggs explains why he and his team-mates are relishing the trip up to Glasgow to face Rangers FC on Matchday 3.

By Ryan Giggs

I had to watch our Premiership win against Leeds United AFC from the stands on Saturday as I was suffering from flu - but I am desperate to recover in time to play against Rangers on Wednesday. No player enjoys missing games at any stage of the season but the Rangers game is a huge one for so many reasons.

Ideal preparation
I think the Leeds game was the ideal preparation for our trip to Ibrox. Elland Road is always an intense, noisy and sometimes hostile venue, especially if you're playing for United, and I'm sure Ibrox will offer more of the same again. As a professional, it is your job to learn to cope with this kind of intimidating atmosphere - but the truth is some grounds will always be harder to go to and perform than others.

Important points
Foremost in our minds on Wednesday will be getting three important Group E points, which are even more vital to us after our defeat against VfB Stuttgart, but it would be daft to deny the game hasn't got wider interest. Anglo-Scottish contests in any sport are massive events and Wednesday's match will be no different.

Hard-fought games
I'm not sure if it's possible for fans outside the United Kingdom to really appreciate the rivalry between England and Scotland, at both club and international level. The tradition and history associated with the fixtures always seem to ensure close, hard-fought and tense games.

Rangers desperate
The Rangers players will be desperate to get one over the champions of England. The Scottish Premier League is often subject to criticism, unfairly in my opinion, and there's no better way for Rangers to silence the critics by putting one over on us. It's rare for a month to go by in England without a debate about the relative strengths of the English and Scottish leagues. There is frequent talk about Rangers and Celtic FC joining the Premiership and everyone has an opinion about how they would get on in England.

European pedigree
I'm not going to get involved in the politics of the debate but I do feel people don't give Scottish sides enough credit. The last time I remember Rangers in European action against an English team was when they beat Leeds 4-2 on aggregate in the Champions League in 1992 - a campaign they went through undefeated. Then Celtic beat Blackburn Rovers FC and Liverpool FC on the way to the UEFA Cup final last season, so to argue that English teams are superior doesn't really wash.

Advantage United
Maybe United have a slight advantage because we have more Champions League experience than Rangers in recent seasons but for me that's not going to be decisive. Rangers are hardly European novices themselves and they know exactly how to make the most of the fantastic support they get from their fans at home.

Cup finals
To be honest, I think our two games with Rangers will be very unlike normal Champions League matches because of the history, tradition and national pride at stake. If anything, they will be like two separate cup finals with both sides dispensing with some of the early tactical exchanges to really go for it.