ZENIT St Petersburg manager Dick Advocaat wants nothing more than a date with his former club Rangers in the Uefa Cup final in Manchester next month.
While Walter Smith's side held Fiorentina 0-0 in the first leg of their semi-final at Ibrox on Thursday night, the Russian club earned a 1-1 draw away to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.
The results left open the possibility of a clash between
Advocaat's past and current clubs at Eastlands on 14 May.
Dutchman Advocaat, who was manager at Ibrox from 1998 to 2001, is relishing the prospect of a meeting with Rangers and a reunion with his former chairman Sir David Murray.
He said: "It would be great for us to face Rangers in Manchester and it would be great to see my good friend David again. Rangers have a good chance of getting to the final and hopefully we will see them there – let's hope we can do it together. I certainly hope Rangers make it because I'm a Rangers fan. You know what they say – once a Ranger, always a Ranger.
"PSV underestimated Fiorentina in the last round after drawing 1-1 in Italy and that's why they lost 2-0 at home. But Rangers will not underestimate them and they will have Barry Ferguson back for the second leg, which is great.
"It is incredible to think my old club have a chance to win four trophies this season. What Walter Smith has achieved this season has been unbelievable. I know how difficult it is to be a Rangers manager so I have great respect for him."
On the face of it, Zenit are closer to a final appearance than Rangers. But Advocaat believes his side have still a lot to do before they can book flights to England. He said: "Normally a 1-1 draw is a good result away from home, but we will have six or seven players out for the return game through injury and suspension. I would be more confident if I had my full team available but I'm not sure what team I will be able to pick. I was pleased with the way we played against Bayern.
"They controlled the first half and we controlled the second and got the goal, although it was an own goal. But it will be difficult to get to the final because Bayern are a top team."
Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld is upbeat, thanks to one very big reason – Luca Toni. The 6ft 4in Italy striker, who has been on a goal-scoring streak with 35 goals in 41 matches in all competitions, was suspended for the home leg but will be back in the line-up for the return leg on 1 May in St Petersburg.
"Luca Toni is a world champion and one of the best in the business," Hitzfeld said. "He's obviously extremely difficult to replace. We're always able to score a goal or two away and besides that we've got Luca Toni back in the line-up."
Hitzfeld had hoped Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose would be able to fill the gap left by Toni, but the two German strikers were unable to find the net against Zenit despite plenty of chances.
"We had enough chances to win, especially late in the match when we had three or four good chances," said Hitzfeld. "I think our chances of advancing to the final are still good. We're strong away from home."
The full article contains 589 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
