Lee McCulloch reckons there are similarities between the current Rangers team and the side that reached the UEFA Cup final in 2008.
The former midfielder was a key player in the squad to reach the European final 27 years ago as Walter Smith guided the club to the silverware showdown in Manchester.
He climbed off the bench in the final with current interim boss Barry Ferguson captaining the Ibrox side.
Rangers fell just short as they were beaten by Zenit St Petersburg in the final. Three years ago, Rangers lost in the Europa League final to Eintracht Frankfurt on penalties.
McCulloch reckons there are comparisons to be drawn between his old Rangers side and the one under Barry Ferguson now as he admitted there is a gut feeling he cannot shake.
Ahead of the first leg of the quarter-final against Athletic Bilbao on Thursday, McCulloch has revealed his belief that Rangers can earn a result despite struggles at Ibrox in recent weeks.
The pundit believes Rangers can take victory, so long as they play as a team and stick to their principles in Europe - not dissimilar to those used in 2008 - and hit teams on the counter-attack.
Read more:
-
Rangers urged to go all in for Greg Taylor as defender could break 119-year record
-
Europa League final ticket prices & allocation revealed as Rangers plot dream run
As quoted by The Scottish Sun, McCulloch said: “I’ve just got that gut feeling, and it’s hard to describe how and why to back it up.
“I just think that when you’re bringing any team in the world to Ibrox with a full house you could get a result there.
“I think the tie will all depend on the away leg — where this season in Europe Rangers have been organised and hard to beat.
“We’ve hit teams on a counter-attack and we’ve got important goals at important times so you just never know.
“But I do see similarities with this squad. I see similarities with the leader who’s taking the team on matchdays and I see similarities in how the team play.
“There are no real superstars in the team and it’s got to be about the collective.
“Rangers are at their best when they play as a collective. They won’t just rely on any superstar that they’ve got, or any best player that they’ve got. There are one or two standouts — and Vaclav Cerny has been good this season.
“But I think Rangers are at their best when the team is playing together.”
