CALVIN BASSEY is determined to give Rangers fans a reason to be cheerful in Portugal and help ease the pain of Old Firm defeat.

The champions have made the journey abroad still smarting from their loss to Celtic on Sunday that all-but ended their hopes of retaining the Premiership title.

Rangers face another huge derby clash later this month in the Scottish Cup semi-finals before they round off April with a trip to Parkhead.

But is the quarter-final showdown that takes centre stage right now as Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side look to bounce back in Braga and take a step towards the last four.

Bassey said: "Obviously you could see on the pitch that we weren’t happy but, as the boss said, we have got to put it behind us and move forward.

"We have got big games coming up and we believe that it is not over until it is over. We have still got a lot to play for and lot to fight for.

"We will put it behind us and we are just focusing on the Braga game and making sure that we don’t dwell on it too much so that it affects our performance against Braga.

"It would mean a lot to put a smile back on their faces. They have been with us through the highs and lows of the season and we just want to give them another high.

"It would be a confidence booster for us as well. I think it is important for us to go out there and give 110 per cent, nothing less, and try and get a result to put a smile back on the faces of our fans."

Rangers have overcome Borussia Dortmund and Red Star Belgrade to reach this stage of the competition for the first time since 2008.

The Light Blues famously went all the way to the final on that occasion and Bassey knows history could be made this term as the Ibrox squad dare to dream of European glory.

Bassey said: "It would be good, it would be amazing. It would be an amazing achievement.

"Boys dream of playing in the Europa League and Champions League and to get this far, you can’t put it into words. I was overwhelmed when it happened.

"Obviously we played well and we just want to keep the form going and keep the form going to reach new boundaries and better ourselves and give good performances.

"Of course Braga are a good team but we have got this far and we have hopes of getting further. We know that they are a good team and we know that we will have to be at our best.

"There is a bit of confidence taken from the games we have had previously against Dortmund and Red Star and what we have had to overcome.

"As someone said before, the character shown from us has been amazing and we will show that same character, that same drive and same passion and hopefully get a result in Portugal."

The rise and rise of Bassey has been one of the few encouraging points from a domestic perspective this term as the defender has performed impressively for Rangers.

The 22-year-old made his debut for Nigeria against Ghana last month and is relishing the chance to catch the eye on the European and African stages as he continues to grow in the game.

Bassey said: "Competitions are always changing. There is a lot of travelling, it is demanding on you physically and mentally but this is the position I have always wanted to be in.

"I have wanted to play week in week out, wanted to play internationals. So I can’t get to this stage now and give up or feel sorry for myself.

"I have just got to take each game as it comes and try and give the best performance I can give no matter where I am playing."