Former Celtic man Andreas Hinkel has warned his current side, RB Leipzig, to expect a special environment at Ibrox when they travel for their Europa League semi-final clash against Rangers FC.
Hinkel spent three years across Glasgow playing for Celtic between 2008 and 2011, joining from Sevilla in a £2.34m deal before leaving on a free transfer three years later.
He retired in 2012 and has been working as a manager or assistant manager in Germany since that point, first with Stuttgart for several years before a move to Spartak Moscow in 2019 and then Leipzig in December last year.
He’s now number two to Domenico Tedesco, meaning he is set for a return to Scotland at the beginning of May when Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Rangers take on Leipzig in the Europa League.
The first of those clashes is set for the 28th of April in Leipzig, with the German side travelling to Ibrox for the second leg a week later.
“They deserve to be in the semi-finals and have beaten really good opponents like Borussia Dortmund on the way there. That says a lot,” he told BILD.
“For Scottish football, it’s very good that Rangers have recovered after the hard times, including forced relegation.
“They have a lot of quality on the offensive with players like Ryan Kent, Joe Aribo, Kemar Roofe and Aaron Ramsey.
“They have a lot of players with Premier League experience in their ranks. They already know how the game works.
“The atmosphere at Ibrox Stadium will be special. I was very lucky to experience Glasgow derbies as a player. The Old Firm is one of the greatest games ever for me. The atmosphere was indescribable every time.”
