Rangers are preparing to face Portuguese club Braga in the Europa League round of 32 after nine long years away from this stage of European competition.
Back in 2011, Rangers dropped into the Europa League from the Champions League group stages to, poetically, face Portuguese opposition in the shape of Sporting Lisbon in the round of 32.
The Ibrox club progressed through that tie and were eventually dumped out of the competition by Dutch outfit PSV in the round of 16 [BBC Sport].
But only one year later Rangers’ entire existence was cast into doubt as the club was plunged into devastating financial ruin.
From the ashes a battle-scarred Rangers has spent the best part of a decade trudging its way up through the lower divisions of Scotland and watching our rivals enjoy uninterrupted success.
Names like Sporting Lisbon and PSV, or even the Manchester United, Valencia and Bursaspor from the Champions League that season, were replaced by East Stirlingshire, Montrose and Alloa.
Over the course of the last two seasons, Steven Gerrard has built Rangers up to be a recognised European name again.
Unbeaten at home during the European part of his Ibrox tenure, gone are midweek lower league Scottish ties, replaced by the thunder only a European night at Ibrox can generate.
No matter what our domestic form says, no matter the form of our opposition, these are moments that each and every Rangers fan must cherish.
As supporters climb up the famous steps into Ibrox tonight and look down onto the pitch, take a moment to drink in what is actually happening.
After everything we’ve been through as a support, that’s a moment which every Rangers fan deserves to enjoy.
Rewind eight years ago – how far away did nights of this magnitude really feel?
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