FC Copenhagen are celebrating a place in the Champions League knockouts ahead of their January visit to face Rangers.
The Danish champions have just secured a lucrative spot in the competition’s last 16 with a famous victory over Galatasaray in Copenhagen.
Winning 1-0 courtesy of a strike from Lucas Lerager – who was later sent off in the match – combined with Bayern Munich’s 1-0 win at home to Manchester United, it’s FC Copenhagen who progress second behind the German champions in Group A.
With progression to the Champions League knockouts worth £8.2m (€9.6m) outright, the FC Copenhagen squad can also look forward a glamour tie against a group winner in the knockouts.
Rangers to face FC Copenhagen in friendly
Rangers, who last season were found wanting at the elite level, will look towards the Danes as a source of Champions League inspiration with the Ibrox club operating on a similar rung.
But the Champions League qualification also ensures that Rangers will be facing off against elite level competition in a January friendly at Ibrox.
Prior to Copenhagen’s qualification, Rangers announced a winter friendly with the Danes at Ibrox ahead of the Scottish game restarting.
With the Gers set to enjoy a warm-weather training camp in Spain during the controversial Scottish winter break, there will be a friendly with an unnamed team on the continent.
But on the club’s return to Glasgow, a clash with the Champions League knockout side awaits in a tough test of Philippe Clement’s credentials.
Champions League inspiration
Rangers fans watching FC Copenhagen’s Champions League qualification will be hoping the Gers can take some inspiration from the side.
Whilst a floundering Manchester United team has contributed to FC Copenhagen’s qualification – eight points enough to progress in Group A – they have reached this late stage on merit.
The financial impact of late-stage Champions League qualification has been extensively noted and as Rangers look for consistently positive financial results it has to be a regular target.
Rangers must harbour ambitions similar to the likes of Dutch clubs like PSV Eindhoven – who also qualified – and Ajax, as well as the sides from Belgium, Portugal and Scandinavia.
With the right management, investment and vision the Danes have shown it’s certainly possible and let’s see how Rangers hold up against FC Copenhagen in January.
