Barry Ferguson has boldly claimed that Europa League quarter-final opponents Athletic Club could be considered favourites for the entire competition, as the Glasgow giants prepares for Thursday night's crucial first leg at Ibrox.
The Rangers interim manager has been working to rally his squad after their disappointing 2-0 defeat to Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership at the weekend.
Ferguson believes the Basque outfit present an even more formidable challenge than English Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United – two teams Rangers faced during the league phase of the tournament who still remain in contention.
"I would probably say they're the favourites for the competition. Favourites for the competition," Ferguson emphasised, making his assessment clear with the repetition. "So we know it's a tough ask for us."
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Despite acknowledging the significant challenge ahead, Ferguson appeared energised rather than intimidated by the prospect of facing such high-caliber opposition.
The Rangers legend sees the quarter-final as an opportunity for his players to test themselves at the highest level. The Light Blues have often saved their best display's for Europe, with Giovanni van Bronckhorst guiding them to the Europa League final in 2022.
"These games, I keep coming back to it, as a footballer, as a coaching staff, as a manager, these are the games you want to be involved in," Ferguson explained. "You want to go and put your wits against some of the best. I think they've got real quality in their team.
"I've said that to the players over the last couple of days. This is what being a footballer is all about. These big nights at Ibrox. The fans coming in their support, playing under the floodlights. Can't get any better."
Rangers defeated Fenerbahce in the last-16 of this year's tournament, but required penalties to set up this showdown with Athletic Club after surrendering a 3-1 first-leg lead.
On the increased level of opposition, Ferguson added: "A step up again. That's me being straight, a step up again. I watched both of them play each other. Look, Fenerbahce, in my opinion, were, as I said, one of the favourites. But when you go and you watch this team, they've got a very British style about them. They can go and play out to the back, but also they're not scared to go long. So we need to be ready for all aspects of that.
"Can we stop them from playing out? If they go long, can we be physical against them and make sure we're handling the runners? These are all the different scenarios over the last couple of days that we went through. The guys are clear in what they have to do to try and get a positive result tomorrow."
As Rangers prepare to face an Athletic Club side that currently sits fourth in La Liga, Ferguson's assessment places enormous respect on their opponents while simultaneously rallying his players and the supporters for what promises to be a memorable European encounter.
