Rangers are readying a Europa League decider in Spain with the Ibrox side, La Liga foes Real Betis, and Czech club Sparta Prague all still firmly in the qualification hunt.
Back when the draw was made Michael Beale claimed Europa League Group C would come down to its final moments and that is exactly what has transpired in a competitive group.
Despite coming out of pot one, Rangers have left themselves a tall order in Spain with a failure to win in Seville ensuring Sparta Prague will qualify with victory over Aris Limassol.
Those supporters travelling to Spain to see Rangers face Real Betis will also be taking the pilgrimage for the first time since the 2022 Europa League Final – a moment which ended in heartbreak.
The safety net of Europa Conference League football has been secured – as Philippe Clement has routinely pointed to – but fans are still dreaming of a legendary run to Dublin in May.
Here are three major talking points heading into the game as Rangers and Real Betis do battle en España.
Rangers, Real Betis & Europa League failure
As tall an order as it might for Rangers to go to Spain and win, a failure to get out of a group with Real Betis, Sparta Prague and Aris Limassol will be viewed as a failure.
Not least because the Bears’ are the group’s highest-ranked seeds and the pot one side.
Rangers’ European forays of the last few seasons will give supporters hope – as will an earlier 1-0 victory over Real Betis on matchday one – but the club has come up short in the competition this season.
Getting four points from six against Sparta Prague should’ve been enough to edge second place but earning only one from six against Aris Limassol has cost the Ibrox club big.
Rangers – who’re now ranked in the top 30 clubs in Europe – would’ve hoped to have got out this group when the draw was made and a failure to do so is exactly that, and a quite significant one too.
Rangers have never beaten a Spanish side in Spain
To make matters just a little bit more complicated, Rangers have never actually defeated a Spanish side in Spain.
That means that should Sparta Prague defeat Aris Limassol in Cyprus – no mean feat as Rangers proved earlier in the Europa League campaign – then this squad will have to make Ibrox history.
Interestingly, Rangers’ first ever competitive foray into Spain came against Real Betis’ rivals Sevilla where the club was beaten 2-0 in the old European Cup Winners’ Cup.
Since then, trips to Real Madrid (European Cup – 6-0, 1963), Real Zaragoza (CWC – 2-0, 1967), Athletic Bilbao (Inter-Cities Fairs Cup – 2-0, 1969), Valencia (CWC – 1-1, 1979), Osasuna (UEFA Cup – 2-0, 1985), Valencia (Champions League – 2-0, 1999), Villarreal (CL – 1-1, 2006), Osasuna (UC – 1-0, 2007), Barcelona (CL – 2-0, 2007), Sevilla (CL – 1-0, 2009), Valencia (CL – 3-0, 2010), and Villarreal (Europa League – 2-2, 2018), have also failed to herald a victory.
No pressure, lads!
Injuries aplenty for both sides
Rangers fans have forgotten what it’s like to go into a game with their strongest 11 never mind 18 and injuries have plagued the club in recent campaigns.
Heading into this match we know that Nicolas Raskin, Tom Lawrence and Danilo will all be missing whilst doubts persist over several in Philippe Clement’s squad.
But Rangers are not the only ones who have a full treatment room with no fewer than six internationals ruled out for Real Betis between injury and suspension.
It means that there’s a patchwork feeling to both squads heading into one of the most important games of the season.
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t big expectation from both sets of supporters with Rangers requiring something big from their players to make the Europa League knockouts.
