ZENIT ST PETERSBURG boss Sergei Semak has told Steven Gerrard that FC Ufa will end their Europa League dream on Thursday.

The Ibrox side face a marathon journey to the Republic of Bashkortostan for the second leg of the Europa League play-off round.

They hold a 1-0 advantage thanks to Connor Goldson's goal during a tense first leg in Glasgow.

Ufa have been in poor form in the lead-up to the tie and have lost four and drawn once in their last five games.

They were comfortably brushed aside by Zenit on Sunday in the Russian Premier League, who eased to a 2-0 victory at Ufa.

However, Zenit boss Semak - who was in charge of Ufa before he moved to St Petersburg earlier this year - reckons the Russians will defeat the Scots to qualify.

He said: "Ufa can definitely beat Rangers.

"I think they have a great chance of qualifying. A 1-0 first leg loss in Glasgow is really not a bad result.

"Rangers are not a team who are unbeatable - far from it.

"Good luck to Ufa. I am sure they will be celebrating on Thursday night. I certainly hope so."

Meanwhile, Ufa are set for a full house when Rangers visit having sold around 11,000 of their 15,234-capacity Neftyanik Stadium already.

Their chief executive Shamil Gazizov said: "We are expecting every ticket to be sold for the game.

"There are a number of events that have been organised for our fans before the game and we are hoping for a great occasion both on and off the pitch."

Meanwhile, Rangers will have snapped up a bargain when they complete the signing of Osijek star Eros Grezda, according to Albania boss Christian Panucci.

The Ibrox side are set to complete a £2m purchase from their Europa League opponents Osijek for the international winger.

Grezda is an important member of Panucci's Albanian squad and Grezda's will soon line up at Hampden against Scotland for the Nations League showdown next month.

And Panucci has been full of praise for the 23-year-old.

He said: "Eros is a very important member of the squad. He's fast, direct and makes things happen on the park.

"I think his game has improved a lot since he went to Croatia to sign for Osijek.

"I know there was a lot of interest in him from clubs in Italy and in Turkey.

"Eros is a technically very good player and can also score some important goals, like the one he scored in Turkey for us.

"He's still young and will only get better. He's a key member of my squad and a popular player."

And Grezda has previously underlined his admiration for Panucci.

He said: "The manager has shown plenty of faith in me. When I scored in Turkey, I ran straight for him to celebrate with him.

"It was my first ever goal for Albania and a very proud moment for me.

"You learn all the time from people like him who have had an incredible career. He's been an inspiration to me."