Rangers: Mixed news for Ibrox fans as UEFA drops new Europa League final verdict
Rangers manager Philippe Clement will certainly not be thinking about a Europa League final place at this moment in time.
The man in the dugout will, of course, be trying to instil plenty of belief among his squad, but they really must take it one game at a time, particularly in such a difficult competition.
The Gers have, however, given themselves a great chance of progressing following their 2-2 round of 16 first-leg draw at Benfica last Thursday (7 March).
They have since kept that momentum going with a 2-0 Scottish Cup quarter-final win at Hibernian on Sunday (10 March), with Benfica now coming to Ibrox for a huge second-leg meeting on Thursday (14 March).
Should the Gers manage to make it past the Portuguese giants on home soil, fans may just start to dream of a road to the final.
But they have been handed mixed news from UEFA ahead of the final in Dublin, with the governing body explaining that it would be “extremely challenging” if the Gers were to meet Liverpool at the Aviva Stadium in May.
Referencing comments from UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoridis, the Belfast Telegraph reported on its website on Tuesday (12 March) that the governing body is bracing itself for such a possibility.
“Under certain conditions, because of the potential teams that could qualify, this might end up being the most challenging for us,” said Theodoridis, as quoted by the Belfast Telegraph.
“We know they will bring a number of supporters without tickets and then there is the issue of potential public viewing venues. We have already reserved Croke Park as a potential public viewing venue, but that could not be enough.
“There are a couple of pairings – I won’t speculate on the names but you are clever enough to work it out – that would be extremely challenging to find ways to accommodate everybody that will be present for that game.
“It’s not an easy operation and it is just for a couple of scenarios which would make it extremely complicated – especially with clubs who already have a large fanbase on the island of Ireland.”
Mixed news for Rangers fans ahead of potential Europa League final place
First and foremost, the Ibrox faithful will be delighted that their superb support has been recognised, with the Scottish giants certain to have a massive following in and around the Aviva Stadium come matchday, as well as at the nearby Croke Park.
However, the obvious negative news involves the potential trouble that a mass influx of supporters could have, with UEFA not boasting the best track record when it comes to dealing with such an issue.
Liverpool meanwhile look certain to reach the next round of Europe’s secondary club tournament, having smashed Sparta Prague 5-1 in their first-leg encounter.
Other British representation comes in the form of West Ham and Brighton, although both Premier League sides have mountains to climb after losing to Freiburg and Roma respectively.
In other Rangers news, a Gers debut is surely close for one youngster as a Borna Barisic competition claim is made.
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