Steven Gerrard insists Glen Kamara is in “a good place” ahead of Rangers’ trip to Prague.
The Light Blues face Sparta on Thursday night and their opponents were hit with a stadium fan ban by UEFA following racist abuse during a match against Monaco last month.
European football’s governing body have since relaxed that and have given the Czech outfit special permission to allow kids to watch the Group A clash.
Kamara meanwhile was the victim of a sickening slur when Gers took on Sparta’s city rivals Slavia last season which saw Ondrej Kudela hit with a 10-game ban.
The Finn was also punished for an alleged altercation in the tunnel following the match at Ibrox.
Kemar Roofe was sent off for a high challenge on goalkeeper Ondrej Kolar and there was an ugly fallout from the match.
But ahead of the trip where the Scottish champions are looking to bounce back from an opening group defeat to Lyon, Gerrard said: “I’ve spoken to the players, Glen and Kemar are in a good place and both looking forward to putting in a top performance for the team.
“We are always looking for the powers to show leadership on this topic, there is still more work and education to be put in place.
“For me, we are focused on the match and hopefully it is a really good spectacle. We are well aware Lyon is a top team.
“It certainly adds an awful lot of pressure if we don’t take something from it. We are going to fight for all the points that are available in all of our remaining games.
“If you get a positive result it only builds belief and confidence. If you can find a performance at this level I’m sure it only benefits us going forward.”
The Sparta Prague clash is the first of a huge double header with second placed Hibs the visitors to Ibrox on Sunday.
Rangers haven’t been firing on all cylinders this season but Gerrard played that down and said: “I’m okay with how things are going and see loads of great work on a daily basis.
“We are top of the league and looking forward to a top of the table clash at the weekend. I’m really excited for the next two games and I still feel we have more to come.
“The team is changing a lot this season with injuries/COVID so it can be difficult to find a rhythm and pick a settled team.
“We have two big efforts to give and then reset for the international break.”
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