How Rangers and Europa League seem made for each other

As erstwhile Rangers midfielder Scott Arfield enactment it, the Ibrox nine and the Europa League look to beryllium made for each other.

This season, similar galore earlier it, European football's second-tier contention has been Rangers' salvation amid choppy home waters.

Victory against Union Saint-Gilloise sealed an improbable top-eight berth and harmless transition to the past 16 arsenic Rangers made it to the Europa League knockouts for a 5th consecutive time.

As manager Philippe Clement was keen to accent afterwards, they person done it again contempt a precise hard fixture database and a raft of injuries, peculiarly successful defence.

Having been nether unit for league performances, particularly distant from home, the Rangers brag tin present constituent to a earnestly awesome accomplishment this term.

"It's bully radical commencement to spot much and more, things a fewer months agone radical possibly didn't believe," Clement said.

"Qualification successful this Europa League is 1 of these things. The nine is connected the close way. Is it accelerated capable to triumph everything? That's our ambition.

"We request to make this civilization and much and much I spot it. They cognize what it means to play for this club."

It's worthy emphasising conscionable however rocky the way was for Rangers to decorativeness successful the apical eight, having started the last matchday successful 13th spot successful the standings.

They ended up playing 4 of the different 7 teams who went consecutive to the past 16 successful Manchester United, Tottenham, Lyon and Olympiakos.

During the 8 matches they ended up playing 7 antithetic back-four combinations owed to a bid of casualties.

Right-back Neraysho Kasanwirjo played left-back against Malmo earlier helium suffered a season-ending injury.

Left-back Ridvan Yilmaz had to play right-back against 2 Premier League sides, portion James Tavernier ended up astatine centre-back against Manchestr United and Union.

At Ibrox against the Belgians, diminutive close winger Ross McCausland filled successful connected the close of defence aft Leon King was forced disconnected wrong the archetypal 4th with a caput knock.

In their last 2 games, Rangers finished with respective teenagers connected the pitch.

All that considered, the resilience was earnestly awesome arsenic they finished eighth having lone been outscored by 3 sides.

"Maybe we don't person the endowment of different teams - but it's astir mentality," Clement said. "The content was determination from the archetypal time but it's astir digging successful and giving everything we have.

"We had to beryllium precise originative the past fewer months but we've done it brilliantly.

"Massive clubs with monolithic budgets person finished down us, and astir us, the accomplishment is lone bigger by beating 4 of the 7 apical teams."

Rangers tin present hold and ticker adjacent month's knockout circular play-offs, knowing they volition play either Bodo/Glimt, Anderlecht, Twente oregon Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce.

All volition airs a challenge, but nary volition onslaught fearfulness into Rangers' hearts.

Of the existent squad, lone Tavernier and Leon Balogun played a large relation successful their tally to the last successful 2022, erstwhile they suffered punishment heartbreak against Eintracht Frankfurt.

That shows the standard of the alteration astatine Ibrox successful conscionable a fewer years. However, the nine seems to person musculus representation erstwhile it comes to the Europa League.

Having already played 4 of the apical 7 and lone been outclassed by Lyon truthful far, and with nary teams dropping down from the Champions League this year, they volition fancy different heavy run.

Plus they tin present adhd players to their squad who they did not initially register, specified arsenic Danilo and Ianis Hagi, and besides hold for immoderate of their injured players to return.

McCausland was asked aft the lucifer if helium thinks they tin spell each the way.

"Definitely, 100%," was his reply.

Whether they bash oregon not, Rangers fans tin strap themselves successful for different Europa League escapade successful the spring.