Rangers today confirmed that they will play a friendly against HJK Helsinki, the champions of Finland, in a friendly at Ibrox.
The fixture will take place a month from today, on Sunday 20 January.
While the details were only announced this afternoon, the fixture has been in the offing for some time. It was agreed as a condition of Alfredo Morelos’ transfer in July 2017.
The opposition are 29-time national top flight winners, and the reigning Veikkausliga champions. Furthermore, they have previously competed in both the Champions League and Europa League group stages.
The highly decorated club play their home matches in the 10,000 capacity Telia 5G areena in the country’s capital.
Gers fan favourite Morelos spent a season and a half with HJK, before moving to Ibrox for approximately £1 million.
Verdict:
It’s certainly unusual to negotiate a mid-season friendly match as part of a transfer deal.
However, this is likely to be a useful exercise.
HJK will be building up to the beginning of a new Veikkausliga season, while Rangers are looking to blow away the cobwebs from the winter break.
The Gers are back in SPL action just three days later against Kilmarnock. Therefore, the fixture should serve as a final preparation before the return to competitive domestic duties.
Ticketing information is set to be released in due course.
