The ex Ibrox star also played for Genk and has given his thoughts ahead of the Europa League opener between his two old clubsPyro in the stands at Ibrox(Image: SNS Group)

Former Rangers and Genk star Thomas Buffel reckons his Belgian countrymen have more talent than the Ibrox side ahead of their Europa League opener.

Rangers face Genk with both sides struggling in their domestic leagues – the visitors are now third from bottom in the Belgian league after eight games.

Buffel was a hero at both Rangers – where he scored an Old Firm goal 20 years ago and won the Ibrox side the title and a League Cup – and Genk where he made over 300 appearances and won a league and cup double there.

He was even manager of Genk’s reserve side until earlier this year and reckons it could be another tough night for Russell Martin…after a disastrous 9-1 aggregate loss in their last meeting against Belgian opposition against Club Brugge in this season’s Champions League qualifiers.

Buffel said: “Rangers are in a period of transition. They’ve had to let a lot of players go in just one year. Club Brugge were able to hurt them at the back and with speed. There’s definitely potential there for Genk.

“Nico Raskin is one of Rangers’ key players. A good footballer, don’t get me wrong, but he’s more of a No.6 or No.8 and if you want to do well in Europe, you need more quality up front and in other positions. That’s where things are currently stagnating.

“Genk has more individual talent. They can make the difference with a move or a burst of acceleration. Based on that, I would say Genk definitely has a chance of winning.”

But he’s warned Genk that playing at Ibrox could be ‘hell’ for them.

Ex-Rangers star Thomas Buffel

Buffel added: “Rangers are still finding their feet right now, but it doesn’t take much to set the stadium on fire.

“A hard tackle or a moment where the whole team goes on the attack can be enough to unleash hell for 90 minutes.

“I still get messages on social media from Rangers fans because I scored against Celtic. If you can make every Rangers fan’s dream come true, they’ll adore you.

“Ibrox still gives me goosebumps. Feyenoord’s De Kuip and Ibrox are two unparalleled stadiums where I enjoyed the fans and the atmosphere.

“The stadium has that authentic feel. Some parts of the stadium haven’t changed since it was built. At Rangers, you always get that wow feeling.”