Joe Ellis

Fri 12 August 2022 6:20, UK

Rangers may have a busier schedule than PSV Eindhoven but Chris Sutton still thinks it is 50-50 as to who progresses to the group stages.

The Eredivisie have granted the reigning KNVB Cup holders the weekend off between the two legs of the Champions League playoff game against the Light Blues but Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side will have to play Hibernian.

Despite that, Sutton has praised the Gers boss for his role at Ibrox so far and what the run to the Europa League final has done for Scottish football as a whole.

“Now Rangers have a chance to get there (Champions League group stage), too. Giovanni van Bronckhorst did a brilliant job in getting them to a Europa League Final and that lifted Scotland’s profile immensely,” he said to the Daily Record.

“This is the next step. The PSV games are going to be 50-50, but what an opportunity for them and getting two clubs into the mix just benefits everyone in the Scottish game in terms of how it’s viewed and the spin-offs for everyone.”

Paramount

The race to be crowned kings of Scotland has always been intense between Rangers and Celtic but for the Gers to keep up with their Glaswegian counterparts, they really need to beat PSV over two legs.

The monetary gain of being in the Champions League over the Europa League is substantial and the Hoops have already made it to the group stages via their title win last season.

Failure to win out over the Dutch side and a subsequent return to the Europa League could be a major problem for Rangers who would not only have less cash coming in via TV rights and prize money but also may play more games to disrupt the league season.

Their run to the final last season made it tough for van Bronckhorst’s side to keep up with Celtic in the Premiership and the same could happen again if they find themselves in the Europa League once more.

In other Rangers news, Eindhoven have made a big call regarding one of their star players who is wanted by some very big Premier League sides.