Rangers have it all to do again in the Champions League next season with four games standing between Michael Beale and a £30m windfall.
The only tangible success under Giovanni van Bronckhorst was making it through to the group stages but after that, it’s probably best forgot.
As European football draws to a close, Rangers potential opponents are now lining up and a Champions League rematch could be on the cards.
For starters, Rangers are guaranteed group stage football of some sorts next season.
Rangers Champions League pathway in 2023/24
Losing in the third qualifying round of the Champions League would see us drop into the Europa League automatically.
So, even a disaster guarantees that we would still have a good chance of picking up coefficient points and a seat at the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025.
Lose in the Champions League play-off round and, again, Michael Beale would be back into the Europa League where he performed so admirably under Steven Gerrard.
There is also a £5m cushion for dropping out UEFA’s elite tournament at that stage.
In terms of opposition, the qualifying round looks favourable due to our status as a seeded team and high coefficient ranking.
The final step, the play-off round, looks altogether a more daunting task.
A repeat of the 2022/23 tie with PSV Eindhoven could be on the cards and familiar foes Panathanaikos and Sturm Graz and Marseille also await.
Genk, Dnipro, Servette and FK TSC from Serbia would present more of an unknown quantity with reported Gers target Petar Ratkov currently starring for the latter.
Rangers have beaten bigger and better sides in recent years and the two legs against PSV were as close as it comes.
All though, are winnable, and those that are left from last season’s disastrous campaign will be dying to put things right this time around.
