OSIJEK boss Zoran Zekic will go head-to-head with his Liverpool hero when he faces Steven Gerrard on Thursday night.

The Anfield legend takes his Rangers side to Croatia for the first leg of the Europa League second qualifying round clash.

And it will be a memorable night for boss Zekic as he looks to upset the former Liverpool and England captain.

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He said: “I started supporting Liverpool because of Ian Rush initially and then my hero was Steven Gerrard. I literally adored the club for 
15 years.

“Steven was a brilliant, awesome player. I absolutely loved him. I can only hope he’s not as good a manager as he was a player.

“When he made that mistake against Chelsea which meant they didn’t win the league, I cried. I felt as bad as if I had made the mistake myself.

“For me, it’s a complete honour to lead a team against him.”

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The Croats stunned Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven in the qualifiers last term and Zekic is relishing the chance to take on the Light Blues.

He said: “Last year we faced Luzern in the Europa League coached by Markus Babbel and we beat them.

“Rangers are not the team of their celebrated past, but they still deserve a lot of respect and we will give them plenty of that.”