At the beginning of the season if Rangers fans had been asked whether or not they would take being 90-minutes away from the Europa League semi-final, they would probably think that they were in for a good season.
The Scottish Premiership was all but over before the clocks went back, with the domestic season finished before Valentine’s Day.
Two Old Firm derby wins in the league have been balanced by defeat in the Premier Sports Cup final on penalties with the season’s worst VAR call robbing Philippe Clement of his second trophy as Rangers manager.
Success would only have delayed the inevitable given how poor domestic form was, and then, there was the Scottish Cup fiasco against Queen’s Park.
With Barry Ferguson only taking things one game at a time, the next couldn’t come much bigger, with a trip to Spain to face Athletic Club and a potential rematch around the corner.
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Who could be next for Rangers in the Europa League
When the Europa League draw was made, it looked like it was going to be a short and knockout free adventure for Rangers.
Half of the games featured sides from top five leagues added to the champions of both Sweden and Greece, the latter notoriously tough to beat on their own patch.
In denial of the domestic form, Clement guided Rangers to the top eight with Ferguson outsmarting Jose Mourinho in the last 16 against Fenerbahce.
Currently sitting on the bench, this wouldn’t have happened without the heroics of Jack Butland.
If Rangers can get a positive result in the San Mames, a two-legged affair against either Man Utd or Lyon awaits.
What chance do Rangers have against Man Utd and Lyon?
The first leg between the two sides was 2-2 in France with an injury time Rayan Cherki goal levelling things up for the second leg at Old Trafford.
The two games against Man Utd and Lyon provided entirely different performances under Clement.
At Old Trafford, Rangers were unlucky to lose late on given that they finished with Leon King, Ross McCausland, Bailey Rice and Findlay Curtis all on the pitch at the same time and had more than matched their expensively assembled opponents.
At Ibrox, against Lyon, it was an altogether different type of encounter.
Rangers could and should have been two or three goals to the good before Lyon raced into a lead that would prove to be unsalable.
The score line might have been emphatic, but Lyon’s repertoire of long-range screamers flattered the Ligue 1 outfit.
If, and it’s a big if, Rangers can squeeze past Athletic, another chance to go head-to-head with Man Utd would be an incredible semi-final.
Manchester, brace yourself, again?
