Miller promises to restore Ibrox pride

At the outset of the current UEFA Champions League campaign, Rangers FC had suffered just one defeat in their previous 20 home European ties. Comprehensive back-to-back 4-1 defeats by Sevilla FC and AFC Unirea Urziceni this season, however, have left that proud statistic fluttering in the wind.

Must-win game
While the sting of those Matchday 2 and 3 disappointments is still felt, Kenny Miller firmly believes Rangers can complete the first phase of their recovery against VfB Stuttgart. The match falls into the must-win category for both sides, with Rangers sitting bottom of Group G on two points and the visitors just one better off. Miller is all to aware there is no margin for error, especially with Rangers having been held 1-1 by a late Unirea equaliser last time out, keeping the Romanian side three points ahead of the Scottish champions.

Last 16 aim
"If we don't win we have no chance of qualifying," said the striker. "Hopefully, we can produce a high-tempo, attacking performance. But we also know we have to patient. It would be nice to score early, but we have to be willing to bide our time and, even if the winning goal comes in the very last minute, we'll be delighted. From the outset we were aiming for the last 16 and that's still our aim."

Domestic improvement
Rangers' domestic form finally appears to have stabilised. A 3-0 victory against Kilmarnock FC on Saturday, with all the goals coming in the first half, was evidence of that and lifted them to the Scottish summit. And Miller believes a foundation now exists upon which to build in Europe, too. He said: "The Unirea games were bitterly disappointing. There was a freak element to the home game, with the deflections and the own goals. We know we didn't perform well enough, but I felt the display at the weekend was one of our best this season.

Confidence
"Obviously, a couple of elements come into the equation," Miller added. "We also hope Sevilla win their game, which would help us. Stuttgart are a good side, whatever their own domestic form suggests. They were obviously good enough to clinch a Champions League place in the Bundesliga last season and I don't think their squad has changed too much since then. But we'll go into this one confident we can win. Our main target is to progress in the competition and that's what we're focused on. It doesn't get any bigger than the Champions League."