GIOVANNI VAN BRONCKHORST is cool, calm and collected in front of the cameras. Behind the public persona, there is a drive and determination.

It is impossible to reach the levels that the Dutchman rose to for club and country without having the mentality to match the talent and Van Bronckhorst now stands on the brink of his next achievement in a career that saw him win some of the biggest prizes in the game.

The leagues and cups lifted with Rangers were just the start. Two medals were collected at Arsenal, while a move to Barcelona saw Van Bronckhorst - a World Cup finalist in 2010 - crowned as a Champions League winner as further domestic honours were added to his tally.

As a boss, he has already enjoyed significant success with Feyenoord. He could now surpass those Eredivisie feats, though, as he sets his sights on Europa League silverware.

Before the 47-year-old can really start to dream, he must mastermind a win over RB Leipzig as Rangers attempt take another scalp - after those of Borussia Dortmund, Red Star Belgrade and Braga - on this momentous continental campaign.

Van Bronckhorst knows all about the opportunity that awaits his staff and his players. He has been here before and understands better than anyone just what taking those next two steps would mean at Ibrox.

"Personally that’s what you want," Van Bronckhorst said. "I came in in November with my staff and I think we had to start straight away without any preparations.

"We both reacted well. Not only my staff and the staff that were already here, but also the players and we have to do it all together.

"Of course I am the manager and I will lead the team but I m just very proud of the players and how they have performed in difficult circumstances against difficult opponents.

"We are now in the final weeks of the season and we will give everything we can to be successful in Europe and that’s what you want. Being involved in Europe and playing big games.

“Of course it is exciting. Playing a semi-final is exciting. Reaching a final is of course very exciting but still we have to overcome the semi-final.

"We have watched Leipzig play a lot of times, we are preparing well for the game, but of course you feel you are coming close to the final.

"It is still two games to be played and we are going to play against a tough opponent. But we will do everything we can and give 100 per cent in both legs to be in the final next week.”

Van Bronckhorst's connection to the club made him an obvious contender to replace Steven Gerrard when he departed for Aston Villa midway through the champions' title defence.

But the former Ibrox midfielder would not have landed the job had it not been for his track record in his homeland - which includes two KNVB Cups and two Johan Cruyff Shield wins - as he made an immediate impression in the dugout.

He is no stranger to the occasion. The end goal is, as always, the most important factor for Van Bronckhorst.

“Of course it feels different because as a coach you are responsible for the team," he said ahead of the first leg in the Red Bull Arena this evening. "But what I had as a player I also have as a coach, you have to concentrate on the preparation for games.

"You have to block all the media, block all the pressure you get from outside to win these legs and just concentrate on your preparation and your performance.

“That’s what the players also have to do, make sure we prepare well as normal and when the whistle goes go into the game and give everything you have on the pitch and make sure you have a good result. In that aspect for me it’s no different.”

The target will always be to win for Van Bronckhorst but that ambition is not a necessity first time around as Rangers aim to take a positive result back to Ibrox.

The champions have travelled to Germany in hope as well as with expectation and proud of a recent record that allows them to approach a daunting test with a quiet confidence.

Van Bronckhorst said: “It depends on the game, of course. You always want to attack and create chances. I think we have shown that in all the games we have had - also away from home.

“We just have to make sure we do the right thing at the right moment. I am sure we will have moments when we are defending.

“But we have to also wait for moments when we can attack and create dangerous chances to score. It’s a semi-final of the Europa League so the level is high and the level that’s needed is also high.

“So we have to prepare well and make sure we have a good result to take back to Ibrox next week.”

The Leipzig fixture is the latest make-or-break tie for Rangers in what has been an exhausting but exhilarating recent run at home and abroad.

RB defender Willi Orban admitted Domenico Tedesco's side were feeling the physical and mental strain following their Bundesliga defeat to Union Berlin at the weekend.

But Van Bronckhorst is only concerned about ensuring his players are in the right shape and frame of mind to take another step on the road to Seville.

“We just concentrate on our own game," Van Bronckhorst said. "We have also played many games in the last weeks so I think for everyone still involved in Europe, in all the competitions, it’s quite demanding on the squad mentally and physically. In that case it’s the same for all of us.

"We have to make sure we are doing well ourselves and prepare the way we want to play against Leipzig. For me that’s more important than what other players or teams feel.”