James Tavernier is convinced Rangers can put first-leg pain behind them in Leverkusen

James Tavernier was forced off in the first leg due to a foot injury

Rangers captain James Tavernier refuses to hope for an easy life when it comes to success in Europe.

You could hardly blame the 28-year-old if he saw Thursday night’s Europa League tie against Bayer Leverkusen as a bit of an inconvenience.

But Tavernier says the Light Blues travel to Germany with a realistic chance of clawing back the 3-1 defeat they suffered in the first leg.

That was back on March 12, and proved to be the last competitive game played in Scotland until the Premiership restarted yesterday.

Travelling abroad to face top German opposition in your second competitive game of the season is a daunting prospect.

Rangers’ task might have been made slightly easier if 21-year-old playmaker, Kai Havertz, had departed the Bundesliga side.

He opened the scoring from the penalty-spot to set his team on course for a commanding lead.

However, it seems his £90-million transfer to Chelsea won’t happen until their Europa League adventure has been completed.

Tavernier said: “Kai Havertz is a very young, very gifted footballer.

“He’s shown the rest of the world his qualities and ability at a young age, and caught the interest of big-name clubs.

“But you always want to play against the best players, so you don’t want to see them leave when you come across them.

“I hope he stays, and if we can play against him, then it’s one of those nights you know you’re up against the best and have to stand up to it.

“Bayer Leverkusen are definitely up there with the best teams we’ve faced in Europe.

“It will be a tough test going over to Germany, but we’re all raring to go.

“We’ve had some great nights in European football in recent seasons, and I believe we can deliver the game-plan needed to try to bring the tie back.”

Kai Havertz (second left) celebrates his goal at Ibrox in March

That defeat just before lockdown was Rangers’ first in 18 home European games.

Steven Gerrard’s men turned in creditable away performances against Porto and Feyenoord, but both games were drawn.

Tavernier is just delighted to be back in action. The first leg of this last-16 tie saw him limp off five minutes from full-time.

He went on: “I tried to go as long as I could that night, but my foot swelled up.

“I’m rarely injured, but when I do get injured it’s a nightmare.

“It’s been an incredible journey we’ve been on from last season into this season with the teams we’ve overcome.

“That gives us great belief and confidence that we can come across these giants in European football and go toe-to-toe with them.

“It will be a case of who wants it more on the night, and I know our players are so hungry to get the right result and, hopefully, we can create a lot of chances.

“After the first leg, we went into a crazy time and you think of the safety of everyone first and foremost.

“I’m delighted we have the opportunity to actually finish it off, and that’s the important thing for us. We’re looking forward to it.

“German football was obviously the first league to kick off again. I watched the games, so had the chance to see Bayer Leverkusen.

“I don’t know if they’ll lose any players before we play them, but we’ve added to our squad and had time to prepare during pre-season to focus on ourselves and our fitness.”

With the transfer window open until October 5, there will be lots of comings and goings in the weeks ahead.

Inevitably, much of the talk will concern the future of Light Blues striker, Alfredo Morelos.

He currently has a tally of 14 goals in this European campaign.

Tavernier said: “From our point of view, Alfredo has been one of the great players I’ve played with over the last few years.

“He’s come on leaps and bounds, both with his goals and his contribution to the team. I hope we can keep him for this game. He’s been a great asset for us.

“There’s speculation around him, but that’s up to the people above to deal with.”