GREECE FRIGHTENING

Broadfoot warns Gers they'll face Pana’s fanatics and oppressive heat in Athens

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KIRK BROADFOOT felt the heat from all angles the last time Rangers entered the Panathinaikos cauldron.

A powderkeg evening in Greece saw Walter Smith's side come under fire from a pumped-up Pana on the park and their crazy ultras off it.

Broadfoot was just relieved that UEFA Cup firecracker in February 2008 which paved the way for Gers to go on a run all the way to the final - wasn't also played in a summer Mediterranean furnace.

As it was, a late goal from Nacho Novo sealed a 1-1 draw in the ramshackle Stadio Aspostolos Nikolaidis and ensured Gers' Euro hopes didn't go up in flames.

It sealed an away-goals victory and qualification for the last 16 of the competition.

But Broadfoot admits they had to withstand a 90-minute battering from the Greeks.

Now, 17 years later, Rangers are facing another door-die Euro double header with Pana – but this time in the Champions League qualifiers with the second leg to take place in Athens' Olympic Stadium during the height of the summer holiday season.

Temperatures are forecast to hit the high 30°C by the time Russell Martin's troops take to the pitch next Wednesday night hoping to avoid being burned at the first hurdle.

Double, or maybe even treble, the 16,000 fans who turned out back in 2008 are expected to pack in.

And it all means one thing is certain – it’s going to be uncomfortable.