Glasgow Rangers begin their group stage campaign with a trip to Belgium to face Standard Liege in the Europa League on Thursday. However, Steven Gerrard's side could come up against a "real danger", according to Thomas Buffel.

What's the word?

The former Belgian international has warned Rangers that Moroccan magician Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez poses a real threat to their chances on Thursday night, as quoted by The Daily Record.

He said: “Standard Liege’s star player is undoubtedly Carcela.

“If they can get him to produce his best on Thursday then he will be a real danger to Rangers.

“Carcela is very tricky, very skilful on the ball and has a great shot.

“He can conjure up real magic and amazing moments as you will see if you watch a goal he scored against Ajax in a Champions League qualifier two years ago.”

But Buffel, who won the Scottish Premiership title during his time at the Ibrox outfit, has backed the Gers to get the job done, although he insists it won't be an easy task.

Could give Gerrard problems

After beating Celtic in the first Old Firm derby of the season last weekend, Gerrard's side should be full of confidence heading into the fixture, but they ought to be wary of the threat posed by the former Morocco international.

The 31-year-old made six appearances in the Europa League last season, whilst he averaged 1.5 shots and 2.3 dribbles per game, via WhoScored, which shows that he is a strong dribbler who is more than capable of running at the back line. By comparison, even Ianis Hagi could only manage 1.3 shots and 1.3 dribbles per game in the same competition last term, as per WhoScored.

Although Carcela hasn't scored or supplied a single goal and assist this season, he contributed to ten goals in the league last term, via Transfermarkt. Moreover, he finished with a tally of a goal and two assists to his name in the Europa League the season beforehand.

Granted, he has only played seven games this season, but he featured in their most recent fixture on the right wing against Club Brugge, which ended in a 1-1 draw between the two sides. Brugge face Zenit St Petersburg in the group stages of the Champions League tonight.

If Philippe Montanier decides to unleash the attacking midfielder at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne, he could cause Gerrard's side some problems, in particular on the right flank, as James Tavernier does have a tendency to roam up and down the wing.

However, it's worth bearing in mind that the back four consisting of Borna Barisic, Connor Goldson, Filip Helander and Tavernier barely faced a shot all game against Celtic, let alone a shot on target, as per SofaScore. So, they should be more than ready for the task that lies ahead.

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