Rangers face a familiar name when Red Star Belgrade come to Ibrox, a player who we were linked with repeatedly over the last twelve months.
The side sitting second in the Serbian league qualified for the last 16 by topping a group featuring familiar foes Braga, Midtjylland as well as Ludogorets, and despite not being one of the competition’s favourites and our result over Borussia Dortmund, they should not be taken lightly.
In Aleksandar Katai they have player bang in form, a somewhat journeyman career that has seen him return to Red Star on a few occasions but never has he displayed the sort of clinical finishing that he has this season.
With 31 goals in 44 games he is their biggest threat alongside one-time Gers target Mirko Ivanic, their attacking midfielder who has 11 goals in 26 league appearances, the sort of numbers we have been demanding from midfield all season.
Ivanic, a Montenegrin international, was set to leave Red Star at the end of this season, however, he has since signed a new contract until 2025 putting any hopes of a move for the £6.5million midfielder out of the question, summer rumours of a £3m offer long since forgotten about.
One thing is for certain, they carry a goal threat, having scored 10 goals without reply domestically in their last three games, we have to be wary about giving them too many opportunities – we have been punished for slackness in the Scottish Premiership, similar mistakes at this level would see us knocked out.
Ivanic and Katai are just an example of the quality that we will face, playing in a league of a similar level to the Premiership in terms of UEFA co-efficient, there’s no doubt that we’ll need to be at our best to progress to the quarter-finals because there are red flags all over this Red Star team.