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McLeish tips Rangers to upset odds
GLASGOW, Scotland (Reuters) -- Alex McLeish rates Manchester United among Europe's top four teams but is confident his Rangers side have the quality to beat them in Wednesday's Champions League clash. English title holders United are odds on favourites with bookmakers to beat the Scottish champions in their Group E encounter at Ibrox. But Rangers manager McLeish believes a vociferous 50,000 home crowd can help his side cause an upset. Rangers lead the group with four points from their opening two games, while United and German side VfB Stuttgart have three points. Greek side Panathinaikos are bottom on one point. "Of course I think United can win the tournament and are among the top four in Europe, without a doubt. But I don't see why our players should fear this match," he said. "Ibrox will be unbelievable and United may not have seen a reception like this anywhere, plus we have players who have played in European competition for many years and are relishing this game. "The Rangers fans will give us energy and, while Manchester United are a team full of world class individuals, they can make mistakes and can lose football matches. "There are no guarantees despite the bookies' odds. If we play to our maximum capabilities we can cause an upset and I'm confident we can get a result at Ibrox against anybody." The contest dubbed the 'Battle of Britain' has been given extra spice due to McLeish's close relationship with United's Glasgow-born manager and former Rangers player Alex Ferguson. McLeish played under Ferguson at Aberdeen in the 1980s when the Scottish side famously beat Real Madrid 2-1 to win the 1983 European Cup Winners' Cup in Gothenburg. "It is like the sorcerer and the apprentice and on that basis the sorcerer should win. "It's a proud moment for me but we will only focus on the game rather than the hype," said 44-year-old McLeish of his fellow Scotsman. "He (Ferguson) gave me advice as a manager over the years. South African midfielder Quinton Fortune is doubtful for United but Ryan Giggs returns after missing the win over Leeds on Saturday with a bug. "Quinton is doing a lot of running tonight but I'd have to think he's a doubt," Ferguson said. "We'll give him a chance because I think the lad has done fantastically well. "In fact on Saturday I think he was the player who was controlling our play and to be taken off at the time he did when we were getting a bit of momentum about us was a bit of a blow." Ferguson admitted that his side would be under a certain amount of pressure following defeat in Stuttgart but is quietly confident that his side would be able to cope. "Maybe the tension can get through to you in a particular game like this. It is possible. But hopefully with the experience my team has had that will not be the case," he said.
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