Steven Naismith column on mental and tactical sides of Rangers

That approach did not work so well in the home leg against Fenerbahce, or the first half of their league game at Dundee, when they were perhaps expected to take the game to the opposition.

But for Thursday’s encounter with Athletic Bilbao, I feel the first leg being at home should suit Rangers.

Most European games that are two-legged affairs, particular in the latter stages of competitions, the first leg is always more cagey. It will probably be accepted a bit more by the Ibrox crowd if Rangers are a bit more solid.

Rangers would bite your hand off to go into that second leg in Bilbao at 0-0. But, make no mistake about it, this is will be their toughest European game to date this season.

They are going to face a seriously technical team who are fourth in Spain’s top flight. They have a top, top coach like Ernesto Valverde – a two-time La Liga winner as Barcelona boss – and they play with top tempo in their approach.

That is their model and how they play, so expect their set-up behind the ball to be really good if counter-attack opportunities arise for Rangers.

There is no getting away from how big a task this is for Ferguson and his unpredictable players, but that is not to say they cannot hurt them. They can.

Former Rangers striker Steven Naismith was speaking to BBC Sport Scotland’s Nick McPheat