RANGERS will travel to Denmark on Thursday for the latest round of Europa League qualifiers, having dispatched Luxembourg's Progres Niederkorn without too much fuss in their previous qualifier.
All that stands between Steven Gerrard's side and a place in the play-offs are FC Midtjylland, who finished as runners-up to eventual champions FC Copenhagen in the Danish Superliga. This will be the Danes' first European outing this season, having entered the competition at the third stage of the preliminaries.
Rangers will be in for a far sterner test than Progres or St Joseph's have offered the Ibrox club so far and although Midtjylland represent a tricky challenge, it is not one that is unwinnable. But Rangers will surely have to be at their best if their European campaign is to continue. Here are the key threats - and weaknesses - that Rangers' opponents possess.
So, what kind of team are Midtjylland? Well, they're one that is comfortable in possession and capable of carving open their opponents. Kenneth Andersen's side recorded the highest expected goals (xG) of any side in the Danish top-flight last season - implying that they have little difficulty when it comes to creating chances. And they have little difficulty taking them, either. Midtjylland scored 76 goals on their way to a second-place finish last year; the fact that their goals scored eclipsed their total xG for the campaign means that they actually scored more goals than they reasonably should have.
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Equally impressive is the Danes' quality on the ball, with Midtjylland averaging 14.31 passes per spell of possession before being robbed of it. To put that figure into context, Rangers - who enjoyed the lion's share of possession in most of their Premiership fixtures last season - managed 12.59 passes before losing the ball.
Put simply, these figures mean that the Danish side are comfortable with the ball at their feet, excel at retaining possession and are highly capable of creating chances for themselves - all of which makes for worrying reading for Rangers supporters. However, there are other aspects of their play that Rangers can take advantage of.
For example: Midtjylland do not play with a particularly high press, and can be a little lax without the ball. Andersen's team don't generally go chasing the ball back once they've lost it, preferring to rely on their defensive structure and organisation. Once they lose the ball, the opposition manage 10.51 passes on average before Midtjylland win it back. Using the ball correctly, then, will be crucial for Rangers when they travel to Denmark.
Midtjylland are highly organised at the back and are impressive at reducing their opponents' goalscoring opportunities. No Danish side conceded fewer shots than they did last season and Midtjylland boasted the lowest total xG against last season. In short: teams struggle to create quality chances against them.
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Andersen usually lines up his team with a back three, although there is occasionally variation beyond the defence. Last season, Midtjylland's most common formations were a 3-4-3 and a 3-5-2 and so far this campaign, they have lined up exclusively in the latter shape. By the time Rangers come to town, Midtjylland will have played four league fixtures and won all four.
Rangers' chances of getting a positive result in Denmark have been boosted by the fact that Nigeria internationalist Paul Onuachu is unlikey to start. The 25-year-old, who scored 17 goals in the Superliga last season, is yet to play for his club this season after representing his country at this year's AFCON. However, should the target man be handed his first appearance of the season, then Rangers fans should be worried: Onuachu scored more headers than anyone else in the Danish top flight last season and had the highest xG of any individual player in Denmark.
One man who could cause the Rangers defence some serious problems is right-winger Awer Mabil and Gerrard's defenders will need to keep a close eye on him. The Australian internationalist racked up eight assists in the league last season - the second-highest tally of any player - and had the highest crossing rate of anyone in the Danish Superliga with 7.35 per 90 mins. Whether it's Borna Barisic or Andy Halliday given the nod at left-back, their top priority must be closing down Mabil and ensuring that he is not given the opportunity to swing dangerous deliveries into the box.
If Rangers are to have any chance of scoring at the other end, they will need Alfredo Morelos to sharpen up in front of goal. Last season's top scorer did bag a hat-trick against St Joseph's in the first round but struggled against Progres, with all five of the striker's shots over the two legs failing to find the target.
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All in all, then, it looks as if Rangers will be in for a demanding tie against Midtjylland. The Danes are well-organised at the back, tidy in possession and clinical in front of goal. If Gerrard's side play to their full potential then they have enough about them to cause Midtjylland some serious problems, but anything less simply will not do.
There's no two ways about it: it's a difficult tie. But supporters can take heart from the fact that Andersen's team have a habit of slipping up in Europe in recent seasons. Sweden's Malmo, Apollon Limassol of Cyprus and Turkish side Osmanlispor have all knocked the Danes out of the Europa League qualifiers in the last three seasons; good teams, but hardly world-beaters. It promises to be fascinating encounter - all that remains to be seen is whether or not Rangers will rise to the occasion.
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