Valverde fears Cerny could fire a bullet into the hearts of his men

ATHLETIC Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde is worried his side could be gunned down by a Vaclav Cerny bullet after firing blanks at Ibrox.

- By Andy Newport

The La Liga big guns will bid to see off Barry Ferguson's Thursday night specialists and take a huge step closer to next month's Europa League final in their own San Mames home.

Valverde has full respect for the Light Blues and especially the threat posed by winger Cerny and striker Cyriel Dessers.

The former Barcelona boss said: "Rangers have a good formation, players who play well in the space.

"Dessers is constantly running in to space, being a reference player, a beacon for his team. He's a dangerous player.

"Their players from the outside are very well positioned, whether they're playing James Tavernier in defence or in the midfield.

"Then they have Cerny, who's a bullet. He's very precise when it comes to defining moments. He's a player that in the space can hurt you."

Rangers shrugged off domestic struggles and an early red card for Robin Propper to a clean sheet in the opening tie at Ibrox as Liam Kelly made a crucial penalty save.