Gomez: League recovery has fired us up

0 Comments | Sunday Mirror, Nov 25, 2007 | by RAY HEPBURN

STUTTGART star Mario Gomez has vowed that the Germans' domestic recovery will kick-start their Champions League campaign in time to salvage some pride.

The Bundesliga champions have still to gather their first point in the group but their improved form at home could spell bad news for Rangers in the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium on Tuesday night.

Trailing Lyon by six points and with no chance of turning around a horrendous goal difference disadvantage, Stuttgart's performances even remove them from a place in the UEFA Cup.

But in their last three Bundesliga fixtures, coach Armin Veh and his men have found something of the performance level that brought them into the Champions League. They have defeated Leverkusen, Nuremberg and leaders Bayern Munich and conceded just one goal in that time. And powerful striker Mario Gomez insists they can now take that lead and collect some Champions League points, late in the series, after having no luck in the fixtures.

He said: "Anyone who has seen our games in the group would find it difficult to understand why we have no points - it does not reflect the way we have played.

"It is true that we did not start the season well.

"The confidence was down after we spent the first two months near the bottom of the table and the Champions League results did not help.

"We were annoyed with ourselves at Rangers. We took the lead then made bad errors in the final half hour when we should have closed the game down and defended better.

"Rangers have for me been the surprise team in the group.

"We knew the quality of Barcelona and Lyon but we could not have estimated the improvement they have made.

"Now we have nothing to play for but our pride and it hurts to look at that table and see the club with no points.

"But it also means that we can relax and play our football in the last two matches without any pressure.

"The only pressure we will have is what we place on ourselves to make a recovery.

"We want to be back in the Champions League next season to set the record straight properly and, after our recent league results, we are not too far away from the top to get back there."