Rangers are eyeing a substantial UEFA cash reward ahead of their Europa League Last 16 tie against Slavia Prague.
The Gers will soon travel to the Czech Republic ahead of the first leg at the Sinobo Stadium on Thursday evening before hosting the second leg at Ibrox a week later.
It’s been a superb campaign so far for the Gers, who progressed through three rounds of qualifying and then topped Group D, before defeating Royal Antwerp 9-5 on aggregate in the Round of 32.
Rangers remain unbeaten but they are set for their biggest challenge to date against a Slavia side who are way out on their own at the top of the Czech First League and who dumped Premier League side Leicester City out in the last round.
The carrot for the Gers is a place in the quarter-finals, which would represent Steven Gerrard’s best result since his appointment as manager in May 2018.
There’s also a financial incentive, though.
Football Coefficient estimates that Rangers have already earned €10.24m (approximately £8.77m) in prize money from UEFA this season, but they will receive another substantial payment if they manage to get beyond Slavia.
The Times reported in October 2020 that UEFA had informed clubs of an intention to make minor cuts to club competition prize pots over the next five years due to the impact of the pandemic.
Therefore, it’s uncertain what exact sums are on offer at each stage of this season’s Europa League and Champions League.
However, last season, qualifying for the quarter-finals triggered a payment of €1.5m (approximately £1.28m) [UEFA.com], so the Gers are likely to receive a seven-figure boost if they can find a way past Slavia.
Ahead of the game, Slavia’s manager Jindřich Tripišovský has made an incorrect claim about Rangers.
