Wins keep challengers in good heart

Rangers FC were the most significant winners of the Group F contenders at the weekend although KS Amica Wronki and AZ Alkmaar also did their confidence no harm at all.

Rangers
Rangers prepared for their meeting with group leaders Grazer AK with a 2-0 win against Celtic FC in the Glasgow derby at Ibrox. Nacho Novo opened the scoring from the penalty spot and Dado Pršo doubled the lead with a header. Celtic finished with nine men and the victory leaves Rangers just one point behind their rivals at the top of the Scottish Premier League. Once again Alex Rae was preferred to Bob Malcolm in midfield, with Grégory Vignal in at left-back. Winger Peter Løvenkrands was replaced by Shota Arveladze at half-time and later Michael Ball was introduced for Vignal and Malcolm for Zurab Khizanishvili. Striker Steven Thompson has recovered from an ankle knock while Serbia and Montenegro midfielder Dragan Mladenovic could be included in the squad after playing for his country last week.

Amica
Amica signed off for the Polish Ekstraklasa winter break with a 1-0 win at KS Cracovia. The goal came in the 73rd minute from 17-year-old substitute Filip Burkhardt and followed a quality cross from Jacek Dembinski. Coach Maciej Skorza restored midfielder Krysztof Kowalczyk for the second half while in central defence Piotr Dziewicki replaced Michal Stasiak. Amica lie in fourth place, eleven points behind Wisla Kraków.

Alkmaar
Alkmaar maintained their challenge behind PSV Eindhoven by beating RKC Waalwijk 3-0 at home. Captain Danny Landzaat struck first in the 16th minute with a terrific lob over the goalkeeper and Barry van Galen and Stein Huysegems added further goals in the second half. The game was coach Co Adriaanse's 400th in the Eredivisie. Earlier in the week Van Galen became the oldest Dutch international debutant. Joris Mathijsen also made his national-team debut in the Andorra match as a substitute while Landzaat started. Finland defender Juha Reini is still out with an achilles injury and no return date has yet been set.

Auxerre
AJ Auxerre's 3-1 reverse at RC Strasbourg meant they forfeited third place in Ligue 1 to FC Sochaux-Montbéliard on goal average. Defenders Jean-Sébastien Jaurès and Jean-Pascal Mignot returned after long-term lay-offs but playmaker Yann Lachuer dropped out just before the start with a groin problem. Winger Bonaventure Kalou and defender Johan Radet will miss the visit of Amica on 2 December because of knee injuries.

GAK
The Austrian Bundesliga's big match, featuring the country's UEFA Cup representatives FK Austria Wien and GAK, ended goalless. GAK could consider themselves more fortunate because Austria hit the post twice in the second half. It was the eighth time in a row that the home side could not force a victory in this particular fixture and it leaves GAK in fourth place in the table.