Celtic-mad Alan Brazil on title race, Steven Gerrard’s Rangers development and Kemar Roofe’s wonder goal
ALAN BRAZIL scored a goal against the Poles en route to winning the Uefa Cup.
He expects Rangers to do one — if not the other — as they prepare to tackle Lech Poznan on Thursday night.
Going all the way in the Europa League looks a step too far for either half of the Old Firm.
Lifelong Hoops fan Brazil will be back on talkSPORT with Gers legend Ally McCoist on Thursday morning for the first time since the Old Firm derby.
And he fears losing the bragging rights to his sidekick after Gers’ splendid start to the season at home and abroad.
Brazil told SunSport: “Ally’s not gloating yet but I think the time might come.
He said: “I fancied Rangers to win over there so the result was no surprise to me — but the goal was a cracker.
“When your confidence is sky-high, like the Rangers players’ right now, you don’t worry about anything.
“They wouldn’t have worried about playing Celtic, they won’t worry about who they face next, they’ll just be buzzing with confidence. When you feel like that, you try things not everyone would try. Flair players like Roofe try things like that and it was some goal.”
Brazil won a European trophy with the likes of George Burley, John Wark and ex-Gers captain Terry Butcher at his side.
It still irks him that his goal against Widzew Lodz was his only one in the Uefa Cup run that season.
But he’d love to see the Old Firm progress beyond the group stages again — even if winning the trophy may be beyond them.
He added: “Zbigniew Boniek, the great Pole, was in the Lodz team when I scored the goal at Portman Road.
“We played against some great players that season. Antonin Panenka was in the Bohemians Prague team was defeated.
“Michel Platini and Johnny Rep played for St Etienne and we beat a Cologne team including Toni Schumacher, Rainer Bonhof, Pierre Littbarski and Tony Woodcock.
“The goal against the Poles was the only one I scored in Europe that season and I was so p***ed off.
“I got 28 for the season and only one in Europe — it was ridiculous.
“Kevin Keegan pipped me for the Golden Boot and he scored seven penalties. I should have had 33 or 34 that season.
“I’d love to see the Scottish sides go far this season. I think Rangers can go through again but I’m not so sure about Celtic.
“That said, I didn’t see Rangers making it to the final in Manchester or Celtic reaching Seville for that epic game against Jose Mourinho’s Porto.
“But another of my old clubs, Spurs, have got Harry Kane, Gareth Bale and Heung-min Son. Imagine what they’d do to the Old Firm defences? It’s not worth thinking about.
“I would like to see Rangers and Celtic get through to boost the coefficient even higher, and you just never know.
“It would be great if they could progress as far as possible. But at the moment I fancy Rangers more than Celtic.”