Rangers captain James Tavernier is hoping to make the Ibrox support dream of a legendary night at the Europa League Final in Dublin.
It will be the Aviva Stadium in the capital of the Republic of Ireland which hosts this season’s showpiece Final in European football’s secondary competition on the 22nd of May 2024.
And after getting a taste of the Europa League Final in Seville – where Rangers suffered penalty heartbreak against Eintracht Frankfurt – James Tavernier is dreaming about the opportunity to set things right.
It would be quite the occasion if Rangers were to make it all the way to Dublin in the Europa League and James Tavernier is clear the hard work starts now.
“The group is level (with all four teams on three points) and it’s a restart now because we have a new gaffer and can still come top of the group,” said Tavernier.
“Prague is the first game of the boss taking charge in Europe and it’s a game we want to do really well in. It’s a place where we’ve been before, we know what it’s all about.
“We always want to win and it’s a competition that a few of us have held really close in getting to the final. We hope to repeat the great scenes that we had in the build up to that.”
James Tavernier explains Rangers Europa League boost
James Tavernier was instrumental during that Europa League run in 21/22, the Rangers captain finishing the tournament’s top scorer with seven strikes.
If Rangers are to set up a legendary night in Dublin then the Ibrox skipper will need to be at his best and ahead of the clash with Sparta Prague, he’s been talking about why this squad love the challenge of continental football so much.
“We will try to go over there and get the three points and get back on track for getting through to the next round,” Tavernier said.
Domestic and European football are two different standards with different ways to set up and the way we want to play.
“Most weeks we are playing compact teams with ten or 11 players behind the ball and we are trying to break them down.
“In Europe, the game is more open and you get more chances but they also have more of an attacking threat so it’s something that we relish and we’ve had really good success in this tournament.”
Ibrox captain James Tavernier has made 60 appearances in the Europa League (including qualifying) for Rangers, scoring 15 goals and laying on 15 assists.
The marauding right-back also played twice in the competition for Newcastle United during the 12/13 season.
Now 31-years-old, one former Rangers star has been tipping new coach Philippe Clement to evolve the role the Ibrox skipper plays in the team.
