Ibrox legend Derek Johnstone shares what he’s been told Rangers can expect from Legia Warsaw

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Steven Gerrard’s Glasgow Rangers will lock horns with the Polish side first away, then at Ibrox for a place in the Europa League group stage.

Glasgow Rangers legend Derek Johnstone has shared what a Polish football fan told him about the Ibrox club’s next Europa League opponents, Legia Warsaw, in his Glasgow Evening Times column.

Steven Gerrard’s Gers have reached the Europa League playoff round after beating Danish side Midtjylland 7-3 on aggregate and will now face the 2018-19 Ekstraklasa runners-up for a place in the group stages.

Rangers, who have lost just twice in 20 European games, will travel to the capital of Poland next Thursday, locking horns with Legia at the Polish Army Stadium, before the return leg at Ibrox the following Thursday.

Gerrard told reporters ahead of Sunday’s Betfred Cup tie with East Fife that he was “really looking forward” to the first leg against the Polish giants, as reported by BBC Sport.

However, the Rangers boss also warned the Ibrox players to expect a “hostile environment” against a side with “big experience” that have “kept a lot of clean sheets of late”.

Johnstone has gone on to give more of an insight on Legia, writing in the Glasgow Evening Times: “I was talking to a Polish guy at Ibrox on Thursday and he was telling me that Legia are solid defensively and they don’t concede many goals. That is the strength of their team and they look to hit the opposition on the break.

“He reckoned they were solid at the back, they don’t give much away and most of their better players are defenders. So it could be set up for a tight tie and Rangers will have to go and break them down but the manager will have them watched and be fully up to speed with what to expect next week… going to Poland, any score draw would be a good result for Rangers.”

Rangers have been in impressive form in European competition so far this season, scoring 19 goals and conceding just three in six games, so if anyone can break the Legia defence down, surely it will be the likes of Alfredo Morelos and co.