Rangers have been shown they can get at Champions League opponents Union Saint Gilloise as the Belgian side are battered by ex-Celtic star Boli Bolingoli and KV Mechelen.
USG were hammered 3-0 by their Pro League rivals with the £3m former Parkhead left-back starting the game and playing 89 minutes in this eye-catching result.
What’s especially telling for Rangers and their fans is that with the first goal coming before half-time, USG appear to have been rocked and lost two goals in quick succession after the restart.
Rob Schoofs scored to put Mechelen ahead just before half-time with USG losing another two goals within the first 15 minutes of the second half.
Lazare Amani netted an own goal six minutes after the restart before Julien Ngoy completed the scoring eight minutes later.
Eight of the players who started the clash with Rangers in Belgium started this defeat to Mechelen.
Ex-Celtic star Boli Bolingoli shows Rangers USG are beatable
Rangers must overcome a 2-0 deficit to reach the Champions League Playoff round which means the team must score at least two goals to force the match to extra time.
This Mechelen result shows that Union Saint Gilloise can be got at with a repeat of the 3-0 defeat enough to see Rangers head through to the next round.
The crowd have a big role to play and if this Rangers team get their performance right it’ll take something monumental from Union Saint Gilloise to keep the Ibrox side out.
Rangers know exactly what is at stake in this match with the £40m prize of Champions League qualification still very much in the distance with a Playoff to come if we overcome USG.
Not only will beating the Belgians ensure Rangers a pop at the Champions League millions v PSV or AS Monaco, but participation in the Playoff is worth £4m (€5m) to every side.
Here’s our predicted Rangers XI for the must-win Champions League clash with USG.
