Rangers have been handed an important European boost as Armenian club Alashkert knock-out Kazakh rivals Kairat Almaty to reach the Europa League Playoff stage.
It means that the Gers will travel to Yerevan for the second leg of the clash, which is currently scheduled to take place three days before the first Old Firm derby of the season.
Whilst the Gers will still face a trip to the edge of Europe – Armenia bordering Turkey – a trip to Alashkert is the preferable option of the two with Kazakhstan even further east.
The clash, which took place in Alashkert’s own Alashkert Stadium, finished 3-2 after extra time as Kairat imploded and finished the match with 9 men.
It is a match which Rangers – quite simply – must win such are the financial implications if they don’t and by now the Gers are seasoned campaigners in this competition.
The result also guarantees Alashkert European football beyond the qualifiers with the loser of the club’s clash with Rangers set to join the newly formed Europa Conference League.
Rangers manager Steven Gerrard spoke in the presser looking ahead to the League Cup clash with Dunfermline about sticking together.
The Gers crashed out of the Champions League 3rd qualifying round to Swedish champs Malmo on a bitterly disappointing night at Ibrox.
The 4-2 aggregate defeat – and 2-1 loss on the night – will stick in the craw for a while but Gerrard is determined to turn things around.
“The players, coaches and supporters all don’t like this feeling and it is about unity and sticking together,” Gerrard said [Rangers].
“It is my job to lead in these situations and flip the mood as quick as we can. You have to use this feeling to react and put in a performance.”
That starts with Dunfermline but qualification for the Europa League group stage is the bare minimum Gers fans will now expect in terms of Europe.
Rangers boss Gerrard was also talking about the club’s player situation with one journalist claiming that player exits this summer are “inevitable”.
