Leon Balogun not complaining about Erling Haaland absence as Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst urges side not to sit back against Dortmund

Rangers defender Leon Balogun admits he isn’t complaining about the absence of striker Erling Haaland ahead of tonight’s Europa League second leg showdown with Borussia Dortmund.

The 21-year-old Norwegian star has not travelled with the Bundesliga giants to Glasgow after failing to recover from a groin injury in time.

Haaland, who has scored 28 goals for club and country this season, sat out of his side’s 4-2 defeat in Germany last week.

The Light Blues will know the tie is far from over, despite their two-goal advantage as both sides target a place in the last 16.

Centre-back Balogun, who is available for selection again after shaking off a knock, believes Dortmund are still capable of mounting an Ibrox onslaught without the presence of their star man.

He said: “In these competition you want to compete against the best and he is one of the best at the moment, so from that perspective it is a sad thing.

“If you look at what he means to Dortmund, it’s obviously a disadvantage to them. It’s going to weaken them up front a little bit but then again they’ve got enough to compensate with the same level.

“There are mixed feelings but I’m definitely not going to complain about that!”

Gers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst has urged his side to replicate the positive aspects of the outstanding performance in Germany last Thursday.

The Dutchman insists his team cannot afford to sit back and rely on their two-goal cushion against a European powerhouse.

He stated: “I don’t know if we surprised them, that is not a question for us, but we played really well, we played to our strengths, made sure that we pressed them high in the right moments.

“So they definitely have a better view on how strong we are as a team. I also have a better view of how they play so I don’t think we have any secrets any more.

“It is going to be a very exciting game and a game you want to play and coach in. We know it is only halfway.

“Sitting deep, sometimes you get moments in games when you have to but I think what we did well last week was press a little bit higher, try to win the ball and be dangerous.

“To begin the game and sit deep, I don’t think that is in our system and so we have to avoid it. We are going to face a very good team again, a very strong team in Europe and we have to be ready to overcome them.

“We are in a good position but our focus will be to play as strong as possible and try to win the game.”