Siebe Van Der Heyden knows Union Saint-Gilloise are going to have to go through hell if they are to reach Champions League heaven.
But he insists the Belgians will enter Ibrox without fear having produced the greatest result in their 124-year history to see off the Europa League finalists on Tuesday. Skipper Teddy Teuma’s rasping drive and a spot-kick from Dante Vanzeir have put Union firmly in the driving seat.
But defender Van der Heyden is well aware of the power the Ibrox faithful can have on their team, having watched them lift Gio van Bronckhorst ’s squad all the way to Seville with their ear-splitting backing last term. And he insists Union will refuse to blink as the sparks fly in Glasgow next Tuesday. Van der Heyden said: “I’m not scared. I’m really confident in my team but we know it will be hell for us there. We know there will be 50,000 fans at Ibrox screaming at us for 90 minutes.
“We have to be concentrated from the beginning. The first 20 minutes especially will be very important for us to stay in our shape and not switch off.
“The match on Tuesday was fantastic. The whole team was concentrated from the start, which was necessary against a very good opponent. Rangers made it to the Europa League Final last year so we had to be fully aware for the whole match.
“It was a great result for the team but there is still a game waiting for us in Glasgow and it will be very tough for us, even with a 2-0 lead.”
Union looked set to spring one of the biggest shocks in Belgian sporting history last term as they made their return to the Juipler Pro League after more than half a century locked in the lower leagues.
They topped the regular 34-game season but saw their dream triumph snatched away after suffering back-to-back defeats against the eventual champions Club Brugge.
Their title destiny swung on a missed penalty by Vanzeir in a top-of-the-table clash when the top two went head to head during the six-game end-of-term shoot-out used to decide the destination of the Belgian crown.
But Van der Heyden praised the striker for brushing off that spot-kick sin to stroke home the goal that will go down in Union club legend.
The Belgium full-back said: “Yeah, it’s the biggest result we’ve ever had. It’s 58 years since the club was last in European football so you know this is big.
“You saw at the end, all the fans standing up and cheering us. The whole stadium was on its feet. It was amazing.
“But I don’t want to say we’re favourites to go through. It will be hell in Glasgow. We will have to be switched on from the first minute because they are going to push us, for sure.
“Honestly, I’m so happy for Dante. It will give him the extra confidence which he needs. I’m so proud of him that he took the responsibility to take that penalty. You need big balls for that situation and he showed he has them.”
Excitement has soared round Ibrox this summer with seven new faces checking into van Bronckhorst’s Ibrox camp.
And Union keeper Anthony Moris added to the hype when he declared Gers had recruited the best player in Belgium last season with the signing of Rabbi Matondo. But the Wales winger did little to live up to his star billing as the Scots slumped at the Den Dreef Stadion.
It was clearly an off-night for the £2.5million Schalke signing who spent the previous campaign on loan in Belgium at Cecle Brugge. But van der Hayden reckons that was down to the way his own team approached the task of taming the wideman.
He added: “I am someone who looks at our own performance and we did very well. We stayed in a block and were just waiting for them and in the right moments we tried to attack in our way.
“It was not just me who kept Matondo quiet. It was the whole team. We did well. We kept our shape. We stayed together and stopped Rangers creating.
“He was my direct opponent but it was a team effort to make sure we didn’t concede. My defence covered me well when I had to go forward so we can all take credit from the result.”
Union have one foot in the play-off round – where either PSV Eindhoven or Monaco await – but having smashed down doors at tough domestic venues last term, Karel Geraerts’s side believe they can get another big away result as they seek to march on to the group stage.
Van der Hayden – who played a key role as Union recorded victories on the road against Anderlecht, Royal Antwerp and Standard Liege last season – said: “We played well last season but now it’s a new campaign and we need to prove we can do the same.
“It won’t be easy at all but we have a team with a big mentality and a good football style. I think we can go far with this.”
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