Rangers defender Leon Balogun has admitted he is relishing a friendly clash with Arsenal this weekend and concedes it will be a step up from the opposition the Gers have so far faced.
Steven Gerrard is preparing his men for the Champions League qualifiers and the start of the Scottish Premiership season.
Rangers have played friendlies against Partick Thistle and Tranmere Rovers, while they now have fixtures against Arsenal, Blackpool, Brighton and Real Madrid to come.
Balogun admits that Arsenal at the weekend will represent a step up in opposition, but feels that is natural over the course of pre-season.
He feels that when thinking of teams to play, Arsenal are a side that would pop into a player’s mind.
“I think it’s quite normal that the longer you are in or the further you are into pre-season the level of the sides you are playing against is getting higher”, Balogun told Rangers TV.
“Especially off the back of last weekend, it’s a good test.
“It’s a Premier League team, it’s a big club. It’s nice to play them as well.
“It’s one of the big teams that probably when you are thinking of football, you would like to face, you would like to play.”
Balogun also believes that playing Arsenal will act as a test of how far Rangers have come in pre-season.
“And it is going to be a good test.
“It’s going to show us where we stand just a few weeks before the season kicks off.
“So it’s a very important test and I am pretty sure that you will see in this coming training week as well that the focus will shift again.
“And also the level and standard that is demanded will have to rise. It will rise and we have to match that and I am pretty sure that we are going to do that.”