Glasgow holds no fears for Gamberini

ACF Fiorentina defender Alessandro Gamberini insists his side are well equipped to deal with the challenge posed by British opposition as the Italian club prepare for the first leg of their UEFA Cup semi-final with Rangers FC.

Torrid time
The 26-year-old Italy international admitted he and his team-mates were overpowered on their last trip to the United Kingdom, to face Everton FC in the Round of 16 last month. Cesare Prandelli's side slumped to a 2-0 second-leg defeat at Goodison Park before edging through to the quarter-finals on penalties and this time around, Gamberini is adamant the Serie A outfit will not be caught cold. "Rangers will try to make the game more physical, but we need to be strong in our purpose and stick to our philosophy," he said.

'In our DNA'
"I don't know too much about the Scottish game, but I'm sure it will be a difficult and very physical match," Gamberini added. "However, we won't change our style of football, it's in our DNA. I saw the pitch and it doesn't look so good, but that could be a positive aspect for us as it will make us all concentrate completely." Coincidentally, the last time Fiorentina tasted triumph in European competition, in the 1960/61 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, they defeated Rangers to clinch the trophy, with a 2-0 win at Ibrox setting them on the road to a 4-1 aggregate final victory.

Dual goals
For the present side, such an achievement is almost within touching distance, one of two aims in the squad according to the former Bologna player. "We're at a very important stage of the season and we want to make sure we achieve at least one of our two objectives, whether that be reaching the UEFA Cup final or securing a [UEFA] Champions League place next season," Gamberini said.

Tough proposition
"It's crucial that we are focused for this match because Rangers have already shown this season they can beat good teams," he added. "I have heard that they are suffering from many injuries right now, but I'm sure they still have enough quality in their squad. No team can reach this stage of European competition unless they have a good group of players, with guys who can come in when others are injured and do well."