Thomas Buffel has urged Rangers to be wary of Royal Antwerp after their Europa League draw.
The former Ibrox favourite believes the Belgian side have the experience needed to pull off a win in the last 32 of the competition.
Despite Antwerp's struggles domestically, sitting in mid-table in the First Division, he believes Ivan Leko's side will provide tougher opposition than fellow Belgian side Standard Liege, who the Light Blues defeated twice in the group stage.
Buffel told GVA : "Unlike Standard, Antwerp does have some seasoned players. [Dieumerci] Mbokani and [Lior] Refaelov have already earned their stripes on the European podium.
"They themselves will have to make the difference.”
Rangers reached the last 16 of last season’s Europa League where they eventually fell to German giants Bayer Leverkusen, and are on course for another successful run this term after topping the group.
Retired playmaker Buffel has been delighted to see his former side back on a European stage again after climbing through the divisions since 2012.
The 39-year-old heaped praise on Steven Gerrard and the impact he has had in Glasgow.
He said: “As a result [of demotion] many have forgotten what kind of institution Rangers actually is.
"Imagine that Anderlecht or Club Brugge have the same thing, and have to start over in provincial leagues from one day to the next.
“It gives me a great feeling to see one of my favorite clubs achieve success again. It takes time to get rid of the budgetary backlog with Celtic. But in the meantime Rangers are again meeting the better clubs in Europe.
He added: “Gerrard was a player with insight into the game, and I now see that at Rangers.
"Each match he tries to play the right game tactically. And to make a difference with his brains.
"But his greatest achievement to me is that with passion he transformed Rangers, just like before, into a winning team.”
