Ian Durrant: Rangers will need to ride their luck in the Athens heat

Ian Durrant says Rangers will need to ride their luck and deal with inhospitable conditions in Athens to keep their Champions League dream alive.

The Ibrox side are taking a 2-0 lead to Greece, where they will face Panathinaikos in the second leg of the qualifying game on Wednesday.

Former Gers midfielder Durrant believes Russell Martin won’t change his tactics too much, with the emphasis on attacking their opponents, but with a bit of caution when needed.

He said: “You need a bit of luck, obviously, the conditions will be the same for both teams, but it will be hot so you’ll need a bit of luck on your side.

“They’ve got a clean sheet and a two-goal advantage, so the manager will go there full of optimism, but it will be down to the players and what he sets them out to do.

“It will be hard, you are never going to be playing any mugs in the Champions League qualifiers, so you just have to get your job done and get on with it.

“The second half from last week will give the team a bit of belief. They rode their luck a little bit, and Jack Butland was called upon a few times, but they steadied the ship and scored two fantastic goals to take a two-goal lead over there.

“The manager’s emphasis is on expansive, attacking football, and I think we’ll see that.

“There will be a bit of caution, of course, you can’t just go gung-ho; we saw last week that Panathinaikos opened Rangers up a few times, so they will have to rely on the defenders being defenders, then when you have the ball, you have to make good use of it.”

Durrant insists the finances involved in the continent’s top competition make it a priority for Rangers as they look to qualify for the first time since 2022.

He said: “Financially, it could be a big boost for the club. The manager will also want to do what he can in the Champions League, but financially, it would be huge, and if they get through, it will help to get better players in.”

If they get past Panathinaikos, then Rangers will play either Viktoria Plzeň or Servette in the next qualifying round before a potential play-off.