Leon Balogun relishing going up against Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams

Rangers defender Leon Balogun welcomes the upcoming battle with Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams at Ibrox on Thursday night.

The Spain international is the star man for the LaLiga outfit who are favourites to come through the Europa League quarter-final with the inconsistent Light Blues.

Balogun, 36, who will take over from suspended centre-back John Souttar – midfielder Mohamed Diomande is also out through suspension for the first leg – said: “It’s going to be a big challenge, but I think it’s a big challenge for any player in the world who plays against him these days.

“And I think it’s a privilege to be able to play against these type of players. I remember when we went all the way to the Seville final three years ago, I was desperate to play against (Erling) Haaland (then of Borussia Dortmund), but he wasn’t fit for the games.

“In hindsight, maybe it was better that he didn’t play, we don’t know. But I think this is the type of mindset you need to have.

“Yes, they are really good players, or more than really good, world-class, some of them, but those are the games, those are the type of matches that you dream of when you’re a young boy, so we should just embrace it and be joyful about it and make sure that we have something to take joy out of it as well.”

Boss Barry Ferguson revealed he held clear-the-air talks with the Rangers squad following their 2-0 William Hill Premiership defeat by Hibernian at Ibrox on Saturday, their fifth home defeat in a row, which extended an unwanted record.

He said: “I think it was just a very straightforward and honest conversation, which needed to be held,” said Balogun.

“Because we all know that recent performances, domestically especially, haven’t been good enough.

“I mean, if you lose five on the spin at Ibrox, at this club, it’s not something you should be able to accept.

“So, yeah, it was very open, no filter, but with a very positive outcome.

“If you see what has come of it, I’m sure you’ll understand that I cannot give you any nitty-gritty there, but if you see how the conversation went, and how honest and straightforward it was, and what we started to talk about, there were definitely some things that needed to be said, that needed to be heard.

“And, like I said, it led to a positive outcome as a group.

“It definitely wasn’t a happy place after Saturday, but we were all pretty clear on the fact that now we are in a quarter-final. It is separate from what’s happening domestically.

“That’s a fact. And we have to focus on that, and there’s a lot to look forward to.

“There’s a massive opportunity for the players, for the club. So, to me, the last two days were pretty positive. I mean, everybody’s aware of the domestic side of it, but we can focus on that after tomorrow night again.”