From the moment Danny Rohl arrived at Rangers back in late October, it always looked like progression in the Europa League would be a tall order.
The damage had already been done, with defeats to Genk and Sturm Graz in their opening two matches, whilst under the command of Russell Martin, putting the Ibrox club firmly behind the eight-ball.
When Rohl’s side were then thumped 3-0 away at Brann in his first match in charge, it was clear that the European campaign would pretty much be a write-off this season.
Subsequent defeats to Roma and Ferencvaros, as well as a draw against Braga, have left Rangers with the paltry return of just one point from six matches.
With two games left to play, starting with the visit of Ludogorets at Ibrox on Thursday night before Rohl’s side travel to Porto next week, elimination has all but been confirmed.
In order to progress, Rangers would need to win both matches whilst hoping several results elsewhere go in their favour. Bluntly, they need a minor miracle.
Danny Rohl has targeted Rangers’ first Europa League win this season in their two remaining matches
Rohl has lifted Rangers’ spirits – and league position – since taking over from Russell Martin
Yet, even though it may be tempting to view these two matches as dead rubbers, nothing could be further from the truth.
These games actually carry huge significance for Rangers and their hopes of gaining direct entry into next season’s Champions League. Indeed, they could well be the gateway to a £40million windfall.
As things stand, Rangers would be the only Scottish club who would go straight into the Champions League next season if they were to win the domestic title.
Celtic and Hearts would both have to go through the qualifiers due to their lower rankings in the club coefficient table.
But there is a caveat. It is not yet a done deal. After a 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday night, Olympiacos are now breathing down Rangers’ neck.
With one game left to play against Ajax next week, the Greeks could leapfrog Rangers in the table if they can go to Amsterdam and win.
Should they do so, they would then take top spot and guarantee direct entry to next season’s Champions League, so long as they win the league title in Greece (currently two points behind with a game in hand).
In order for Rangers to fend off that challenge, they need to beat Ludogorets before then taking at least a point next week in Porto.
The problem is that both of these clubs are still fighting for qualification and will therefore be highly motivated to achieve their own objectives.
Yet, in terms of the extra finance that would be available to Rohl, as well as the attraction of having Champions League football to offer potential new recruits, it would be transformative.
The Ibrox boss acknowledged the importance of the two matches – and insisted it will be full steam ahead against the Bulgarian champions.
Asked about the coefficient situation, Rohl replied: ‘We won’t rest too many players. We’ll go with a strong group. This point is very important for us.
‘We have to be successful in the league, otherwise this [Champions League qualification] is not a topic for us.
‘But, of course, we have now 16 games in the league, two games in Europe, and four, hopefully, Scottish Cup games to go. If we get a lot of points like this, then we will have a good summer.’
Rohl is still searching for his first win in Europe as Rangers manager. Although he has improved their fortunes domestically and dragged them into a title race, success on the continent has been harder to come by.
Ludogorets arrive in Glasgow still chasing a place in the knockout rounds. Under the command of Per-Mathias Hogmo, who was a managerial target for Hearts a couple of years ago, they are a decent side.
Having already recorded victories over Malmo and Celta Vigo, Ludogorets currently sit on seven points, with one more win potentially being enough to secure their place in the latter stages.
On the challenge facing his team, Rohl continued: ‘It’s a competition where we have not won so far. It’s a challenge and now we want to win out first game.
‘We want to keep the momentum. A win is a win, it doesn’t matter which competition.
‘We will face an opponent who will play football, they will try something with their structure. Sometimes they press high, sometimes they sit in a low block.
‘So it’s about us to show in this competition where we are at this moment. I think the competition is there, the challenge is there.’
Rohl confirmed that John Souttar will miss the game, as well as Sunday’s clash with Dundee, due to a slight knock.
Dujon Sterling and Derek Cornelius are making good progress in their comeback from injuries, with Connor Barron also progressing in his rehab from a knee injury.
New signing Andreas Skov Olsen is unavailable for European action but could face Dundee on Sunday in the league
New signings Andreas Skov Olsen, Tochi Chukwuani and Tuur Rommens will be ineligible tonight, but Skov Olsen and Chukwuani could be ready to start on Sunday.
‘It’s unfortunately not possible to take the new guys for this game, so this is bit more for me about managing all the players before Sunday,’ added Rohl.
‘In some parts of the training this week, we trained both games with starting XIs for both games.
‘Let’s see. But all in all, I think it was a good week, also on the energy level, we looked sharp. This is what we want to see.
‘Yeah, for Sunday I have him [Skov Olsen] in my mind. Tochi as well. I think this is good.
‘Both bring good quality, they understand the game. I think Skov showed in some moments the calmness on the ball in the final third, he made this extra pass, good finishing.
‘Tochi understands how to play number six. You see it in the small details, how he covers areas, what he has to do, he is also calm on the ball, he is very open-minded and listening.
‘They have a lot of quality. I think they will show soon why they are here.’
