A Rangers supporter has died in a road traffic accident in Istanbul, the club have confirmed. Scottish fans have flocked to the Turkish city ahead of the first leg of their Europa League knockout tie against Fenerbahce on Thursday.

The Gers have been allocated more than 2,000 tickets for their trip to the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, with many fans flying into Turkey long before the scheduled 17:45 (GMT) kick-off time. Club chiefs say they are in contact with British and Turkish authorities following the death of one supporter overnight.

A spokesperson for the club said: “We are devastated to have learned of the passing of one of our supporters in a road traffic accident overnight in Istanbul.

“The immediate thoughts of everyone at the club are with their family and friends at this incredibly difficult time. We are remaining in constant contact with both the Turkish and British authorities over this tragic incident.”

The trip to Istanbul will see Rangers caretaker manager Barry Ferguson test himself against former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho, who has been in charge of Fenerbahce since last June.

A spell of poor form for the Scottish outfit, which includes a 2-1 defeat at home to Motherwell last time out, has made them rank outsiders to win Thursday’s match. But they will be desperate to stay in the tie ahead of next week’s return fixture at Ibrox.

“I know a lot of people say that I’m new to this job, and rightly so, but I’ve played in a lot of European games,” said Ferguson, who enjoyed two spells with Rangers as a player. “Whether that be the Champions League or the UEFA Cup, I understand the times that you need to play a different way.

“We’re not going into this blind. We’re coming up against a very good team with very good players and in my opinion, a top manager, so we’re expecting a tough night, but we’re prepared. The guys know their jobs.”

Despite the form book suggesting that Fenerbahce could enjoy a straightforward night, Rangers managed to secure automatic knockout qualification by finishing eighth in the league phase, while Mourinho’s men squeaked their way into a play-off by finishing 24th.

Fenerbahce rose to the challenge and saw off Anderlecht comfortably over two legs, and they are now 18 games without defeat in all competitions.