Steven Davis has offered an alternative view on Rangers boss Gio van Bronckhorst's "we can't compete" claims following last week's Champions League defeat to Ajax.
The Light Blues crashed to a 4-0 loss in their opening group game and are now preparing for a massive home showdown with Napoli who put Liverpool to the sword last week.
The fallout from the clash in Amsterdam has rumbled on with Rangers fans and pundits raising concerns over post-match comments from the Ibrox gaffer, where he played down his sides chances of rubbing shoulders with Europe's elite after reaching the 4-0 rout.
Read more: NI League Cup LIVE score updates from Tuesday's games
However, Northern Ireland skipper Davis aimed to cool the debate over the post-match debrief in Amsterdam, as the 37-year-old insisted his side have shown they can compete with top level clubs after reaching the Europa League final in Seville last term, reports the Daily Record.
Speaking ahead of the showdown at Ibrox, the veteran said: “I didn’t hear what was said first hand. My take was that it was taken out of context.
“I think maybe he was referring to winning the Champions League. But yeah, it’s obviously a really tough level to play at but we showed last season with the journey we went on to reach the Europa League final that we’re more than capable.
“If we max out and really hit our highest level then we know what we can do. We know what we have to do to try and do that.”
Speaking after defeat to Ajax, Van Bronckhorst told BT Sport: "To compete in Champions League you need hundreds of millions. If you look at all the squads you are facing now - Ajax and Liverpool.
"For us to compete with them it’s too much to ask. We want to compete but we want to compete with the squad we have and are able and capable in making. We knew it was going to be tough and that showed today (after the 4-0 defeat)."
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