Rangers have been handed an indirect Euro boost by the SFA after the new dates for the Scottish Cup were announced [SFA].
The Ibrox side won’t play their fourth-round Scottish Cup tie against Cove Rangers until the 3rd of April meaning the weekend of March 13/14 remains open.
Rangers are set to play their last 16 Europa League tie with Slavia Prague in Czechia on Thursday 11th March with this news meaning they won’t have any fixture between the return at Ibrox a week later.
This will give Rangers the opportunity to focus fully on these matches after this weekend’s clash with St. Mirren which is a major boost to the club’s chances of qualification.
Steven Gerrard and his charges can get some much-needed extra time on the training pitch with the club able to fully prepare for the return leg at Ibrox.
This puts an even greater emphasis on getting a positive result in Prague with the Gers now primed to have no distractions from their double-header with the Czechs.
This indirect Euro boost from the SFA is in stark contrast to the kind of thing that happened when Rangers were going for European glory in 2008.
Former SFA chief George Peat has since revealed that one prominent higher-up at a club in Scottish football demanded the association didn’t help Rangers amid a hectic run of league fixtures.
For many, this is one of the main reasons why the club fell short in the UEFA Cup Final of 2008 where they were beaten 2-0 by Zenit St. Petersburg in Manchester.
Here’s more on those George Peat comments which came out in 2018 and which summed up the feeling of Rangers at the time.