Figo undaunted by empty house

Luís Figo is confident that playing Rangers FC behind closed doors will not harm FC Internazionale Milano's chances of a second successive UEFA Champions League victory.

Empty stadium
Inter overcame a tricky trip to Slovakia on Matchday 1, beating FC Artmedia Bratislava 1-0, but the Nerazzuri's first home match of the group stage will be played in an empty San Siro - just like it was when Roberto Mancini's side entertained FC Shakhtar Donetsk in the qualifying round. The club are being punished for the crowd trouble which marred last season's Champions League quarter-final defeat by AC Milan.

Players' game
But Portuguese winger Figo told uefa.com that his team will not allow the unusual atmosphere to affect their performance. "I don't think it will be an advantage to Rangers that our fans will not be present. It's normally important to have the weight of our fans behind us of course, but the people who score goals are the players, not the supporters.

'Concentrate hard'
"We will concentrate very hard, knowing our fans are behind us even though they aren't in the stadium. When footballers are out there on the pitch we only think about football. I would prefer there to be a crowd, but that's not the main issue. The most important thing is playing well and winning."

Rangers trouble
Inter have begun the domestic season in fine fashion, dropping just three points from a possible 15. This is in stark contrast to their opponents who lie eleven points behind surprise Scottish Premier League leaders Heart of Midlothian FC after just eight games. But the 32-year-old Figo is refusing to underestimate the Scottish champions. "Having watched Rangers beat [FC] Porto in their last Champions League match I know that they will be hard opponents. We need to be very disciplined if we want to take all three points.

Physical threat
"Rangers' biggest strength is that they are a physically powerful team. The key to an Inter victory will be getting a balance between defence and attack, keeping hold of the ball, and scoring goals when the opportunities come our way. If we do that we will be OK I'm sure."

Adriano menace
Roberto Mancini's side have been boosted by Adriano's decision to sign a new five-year-deal that will keep him at the club until 2010. And former Real Madrid CF 'Galáctico' Figo, believes the Brazilian striker will torture Alex McLeish's underdogs on Wednesday night.

'Machine'
"I'm sure Rangers know it already, but Adriano is a machine," he said. "I knew all about him before I came here and I haven't been disappointed. It's like playing with Ronaldo, he's that good. They really are quite similar players. I haven't had to change my game because Ronaldo and Adriano are so alike.

Settling well
"But we are not just about Adriano," he added. "Every Inter player is going to be dangerous to Rangers. Personally, I am enjoying myself very much in Milan. I have very good team-mates and I'm sure that together we can achieve something really important this season."