Motherwell boss reacts to Rangers dilemma at Ibrox after fixture release as new star injury update delivered

Motherwell manager Stuart KettlewellMotherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell
Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell
Motherwell are due to be the first visitors to Rangers this season coming.

Stuart Kettlewell says one of his new Motherwell signings has picked up a niggle - as he weighed in on Rangers’ stadium dilemma.

The Fir Park side have discovered their Premiership fixture schedule for the upcoming 24/25 campaign, starting at home to Ross County. Their first away game though is pencilled in vs Rangers on August 10th, but the Light Blues are trying to find an alternative venue to Ibrox, that is temporarily unusable due to a delay in work on Ibrox's Copland Road stand.

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Competitive action kicks off in the Premier Sports Cup against Edinburgh City next month. Kettlewell says there has been some conversation over the venue change topic but it’s not something he can control. He said: "There's been a bit of conversation among us but I don't think about it too much and I don't have a view.

"You want to be involved in games at Ibrox but whatever the resolution is I'm sure it's not ideal for Rangers. It's our first away game and wherever it is we have to deal with that. It has no effect on us whatsoever. I was a player at Queen's Park when we were shipped out of Hampden for a Rolling Stones concert when we played Aberdeen in the League Cup.

"We maybe got a bit of a lift going to a different stadium and environment and we beat them. You can only control the controllables and we have to make sure we take care of the opening game."

Champions League qualifiers Twente are the first challenge for Motherwell in Deurningen. The Dutch side finished third in the Eredivisie but their pre-season preparations have been impacted, after their friendly against RKVV Stevo was cancelled on Saturday after a scaffolding collapsed pre-match, injuring ten fans.

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Six of Motherwell’s seven summer signings will get minutes but Australian right-back Johnny Koutroumbis won’t feature. Kettlewell explained: "Six of the new players will be involved but Johnny has picked up a niggle in his calf.

"He doesn't have an injury history and he picked it up prior to coming out here. But for the rest, the game's a glamorous friendly to start their Motherwell careers. I watched them training on Thursday and they have some top players.

"People associate the game in Holland with being really technical, but they're all energy and passion. It's our first game and I'd possibly have liked it to be two or three down the line in terms of fixtures.

"I know they'd an issue with a tifo and some fans being injured at the weekend but both teams will be looking forward to playing 11 v 11."

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