Cyriel Dessers has urged Rangers to embrace the challenge of a ‘beautiful’ draw in the Europa League.
The Ibrox side head to Malmo in Sweden for their opening tie on Thursday night followed by difficult games against Lyon, Steaua Bucharest, Olympiacos, Nice, Tottenham, Manchester United and Belgians Union Saint-Gilloise.
Eight points clear at the top of the Allsvenskan with seven games to play, the Swedish champions are on course to retain their title and boast a record of one defeat in their last eight games against Scottish teams — in a run stretching back to 2011.
Dessers scored twice as Rangers overcame Dundee 3-0 to reach the semi-finals of the Premier Sports Cup on Saturday.
Upbeat over another overseas trip in Europe despite his away goal against Dynamo Kyiv failing to help Rangers into the Champions League, the Nigerian international said: ‘Yeah, very excited. I think we have a very beautiful but very difficult draw.
‘Malmo away is not an easy start, but these are the games you want to play when you’re playing in Europe.
Cyriel Dessers is excited about the stern challenge awaiting Rangers in the Europa League
The Nigerian international scored two against Dundee and went close with an acrobatic effort
Rangers manager Philippe Clement welcomed his side’s long-awaited return to Ibrox
‘I think (the win over Dundee) can give us some confidence, a boost, and hopefully we can have a good performance there as well and hopefully win.’
Philippe Clement faced calls to put Moroccan Hamza Igamane in from the start against Dundee after the summer signing impressed with a substitute appearance against Dundee United.
Justifying his selection with the double which took his tally for the season to seven in nine, Dessers says he welcomes the competition for his place.
‘I’m happy with that, actually,’ he said. ‘At a big club like Rangers there will always be competition. I think that’s good, because we play 65 games in the season. Probably I will not play 65 games, all 90 minutes!
Hamza Igamane replaced Dessers for the final 22 minutes of the weekend win over Dundee
‘So I think it’s really good that Hamza and Dani (Danilo) are here. I’m sure we will need them and that they will be ready at that moment.
‘You can see Hamza, he has something. I can see it as well in training.
‘We’re helping each other because we know that in a long season like you have at Rangers, you cannot do it alone as a striker. We will need all of our strikers this season, and hopefully we can score a lot of goals — all of us.’