4 Rangers stars face anxious Bilbao fitness fight as boss flips the schedule with Euro masterplan signed off

The Ibrox side head to Bilbao to take on Athletic Club on Thursday with the tie in the balance after their goalless draw

Barry Ferguson has urged his Rangers stars to grab a great opportunity to get Rangers into the Europa League semi-finals – with "three or four" battling to be fit for the big one in Bilbao.

The Ibrox side head to Bilbao to take on Athletic Club on Thursday with the tie in the balance after their goalless draw at Ibrox last week.

Ferguson sent out a second string at Aberdeen and they managed to come away with a late point after he sent on some of his big players in the second period ahead of their trip to Spain.

The Rangers manager said: “Huge. I can't wait, I said that to them.We're going to have a rest tomorrow.

"I am excited about going, but I'm also respectful. It's going to be tough for us.

“As a footballer, as a manager, I'm excited about it. I'm excited about getting into that sort of atmosphere.

"What an opportunity we've got. The game's wide open. The main thing for me on Thursday night was making sure we were still in the tie.

"The guys deserved, with the performance, to still be in the tie. We'll go there on Thursday, having to know our jobs, what way we are going to play. We need to get it spot on.

"We do really need to get it spot on. Then that's up to me and the coaching staff to make sure we do it over Tuesday and Wednesday before we get into the game on Thursday.”

Rangers managed to keep out Ernesto Valverde’s men with 10 men at home but Ferguson knows they are still a class act and better than most they have beaten in Europe this season. The Glasgow side might have struggled domestically but in Europe they have raised their game to beat the likes of Fenerbahce, Nice, Malmo and FCSB and have drawn with the likes of Olympiacos and Spurs.

Ferguson warned: “I look at the last two games, in terms us into the quarters. Athletic Club, they're different. They're a step up. They are, I'm going to say, a step up.

"I know Lyon, when we played them at home, they were very good middle to front, but it's a step up.We need to be bang on the button with our tactics.

"I already know what way we're going to approach it and what way we're going to go about it, so there's going to be a bit of work on the training ground.

"But one thing about them is that I'll give the boys a lot of credit. They've been brilliant to take information on, because it's tough because it's a different way that we're playing, tactically, and with and without the ball as well.

"We know there's a lot of work to be done, but we'll get there and we'll be prepared, ready to go on Thursday night.”

Ferguson’s biggest headache is who will be fit for the trip to Spain with the likes of John Souttar, Vaclav Cerny, Leon Balogun and Ridvan Yilmaz all carrying knocks, while Bailey Rice and Dujon Sterling are out longer term.

Ferguson added: “Probably in a couple of days I'm going to get good news from the medical staff if I'm going to have another three or four players fit and available.

"I’ll just need to wait and see. I think we can see who wasn't in the squad. So I just need to wait and see their reaction over the next couple of days. We left straight after training, so I'll find out tomorrow, Tuesday at the latest.

"But I'm not going to take any chances. You're never 100 per cent when you play games of football, but I need people as close to that because we know how difficult it's going to be.”