By Kyle Gunn

BARRY FERGUSON will be in the dugout as his Rangers side head to Turkey to take on Fenerbahçe in the round of 16 of the Europa League on Thursday night.

Ferguson, who was installed as interim head coach after the sacking of Phillipe Clement, faces a difficult night following the 2-1 defeat to Motherwell at the weekend. 

This a huge moment for the former Ibrox midfielder who has also skippered the club on the continent – including the  2008 UEFA Cup Final against Zenit St Petersburg in Manchester.

They now face a Jose Mourinho team in a competition which has been a shining light in an otherwise disappointing season.

The Ibrox club set up the tie with a top eight finish which was secured with a 2-1 win over Union Saint-Gilloise in the final game of the league phase.

Rangers’ biggest hope will be to make sure that they are in contention to qualify for the next round when they host the second leg in Glasgow seven days later.

Some good news for Ferguson is that John Souttar (pictured) is back in the squad despite being injured against Hearts in mid-February.

Fellow defenders Dujon Sterling and Leon Balogun, alongside midfielder Connor Barron,  also returned to the bench at the weekend.

Rangers fan Alexander Cruickshanks told UWS Newsroom: “I think Rangers will go into this game with a lot of aggression, however, I don’t think Barry Ferguson has the tactical prowess to take on Jose Mourinho. 

“Ultimately, I don’t think the team will have enough to get a win in Turkey and, in the tie. If they want to win, they need to take at least a draw back to Ibrox.”