Thursday nights under the lights is always a special atmosphere and for all that the rewards might not be as great for Rangers financially, the Europa League still throws up some blockbuster ties.
They don’t come much bigger that Jose Mourinho, already a favourite with Rangers fans, with Fenerbahce drawn in the last 16 and a box office tie at Ibrox ahead.
Mourinho has been around European football long enough to appreciate a good thing and has already been complementary about Rangers after seeing off Anderlecht in the last round.
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Jose Mourinho looking forward to Rangers tie at Ibrox
When asked about the potential draw, the Special One said:
“The flight time to Olympiacos is shorter so it could be them, but if we have to go to Scotland, we will go.
“Rangers have a great stadium. It doesn’t matter to us. It doesn’t matter who our opponent is in the first match we will play in Istanbul.
“Fred will be an important absence for us there. We will forget about the Europa League now.”
Philippe Clement will be hoping to bring a result back to Ibrox for the second leg as he did last year against Benfica.
The Portuguese outfit were a step too far, however, the Rangers manager will fancy his chances against a side ranked a lot lower in UEFA’s standings.
What is Rangers path to the final and what are their rankings?
Rangers have consistently punched above their weight in the Europa League in recent seasons.
Despite issues on and off the pitch, knock-out football has been a regular sight at Ibrox and the last 16 has some big teams left looking to make it to Bilbao at the end of May.
If the Rangers manager is to keep his job, he will probably have to overcome Fenerbahce who are ranked 46nd in UEFA’s coefficient ranking list, with Roma 6th and Man Utd 13th.
Currently ranked 28th, the route to the final isn’t an easy one if the 2025 vintage is to repeat the feats of 2022, although they said that then too.
