RONALD De Boer has claimed that PSV Eindhoven were "very lucky" to make it through to the Champions League play-offs and predicted Rangers can beat them and secure a £40m place in the group stages.
De Boer’s former team mate Giovanni van Bronckhorst oversaw a remarkable Rangers victory over Royal Union Saint-Gilloise in second leg of the third qualifying round at Ibrox on Tuesday night.
His side, who were trailing 2-0 from the first leg in Belgium seven days earlier and facing a costly exit, triumphed 3-0 to win 3-2 on aggregate and progress to a double header against PSV.
The Dutch side also came from 2-1 behind to defeat French opponents Monaco 3-2 after extra-time in the Philips Stadium and prevail 4-3 overall.
But De Boer, the former Rangers forward who is currently the Ajax A1 assistant manager, watched the game and felt that Ruud van Nistelrooy’s team were fortunate not to get knocked out of Europe’s premier club competition.
He is looking forward to the encounter between the Europa League finalists and the Eredivisie outfit, which will get underway at Ibrox next Tuesday night, in the coming fortnight.
And the two-time Dutch Footballer of the Year is convinced that Rangers are capable of claiming another significant European scalp and joining the likes of Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Real Madrid in the competition proper.
“The games between Rangers and PSV will be interesting,” he said. “They are both managed by former team mates of mine. Gio more than Ruud. I only had one year in the national team with Ruud. But I have known Gio for a long time.
“Gio is doing a tremendous job at Rangers. I really liked that his team tried to play attacking football and dominate games during their run to the Europa League final last season. They used their wingers a great deal and were rewarded for their positive game plan.
“Nobody thought they had a chance of coming back from 2-0 down against Union Saint-Gilloise, but they did. To win 3-0 at home and go through is an amazing escape. It is very important for Rangers to win the Premiership, but they want to do well in Europe as well and get to the Champions League.”
De Boer added: “I thought PSV were lucky to get through to the next stage of the Champions League. If you analyse the game, Monaco were the better team. But, of course, the better team doesn’t always go through in football.
“PSV were very lucky to get an equaliser in the dying seconds and take the game to extra-time. Erick Gutierrez scored with a header in the 89th minute to make it 2-2. Monaco were also the better team in extra time, but they hung in there.
“Rangers have a good chance. But so do PSV. The thinking in Holland is that Monaco are a better team than Rangers. But I don’t think Van Nistelrooy, his staff and his players will take Rangers lightly. They will know that they have to be on top of their games to win.
“I like Ruud as a person and I like how he conducts himself. But this is his first management role. He only has coaching experience with youth sides and second teams. On Tuesday night his team was a minute away from going out. The outcome could have been totally different.”
