Celtic fan John McGinn gutted as Rangers miss out on Champions League
John McGinn is disappointed to have seen Rangers fail to qualify for the Champions League as he was eager to play at Ibrox with Aston Villa.
The Gers crashed out at the third-qualifying stage on Tuesday (13 August) with a 2-0 loss to Dynamo Kyiv and a 3-1 defeat on aggregate.
Scotland international McGinn, who is known to be a Celtic fan, was looking forward to the prospect of potentially facing the Gers this season.
Asked on talkSPORT Breakfast [14 August, 09:56am] which ground he most wants to play at in the competition, McGinn said: “The Bernabeu.
“I would say Real Madrid or Barca, but Barca are not playing at Camp Nou at the moment.
“I was watching the Rangers game last night, hoping that we’d play at either Celtic Park or Ibrox, but it wasn’t to be.”
Rangers face another season in the Europa League
Some have argued that playing in the Europa League will be better for Rangers than qualifying for the Champions League.
The logic behind that is that the Gers will win more games in the former than the latter, but that is surely not the point.
Every player wants to play in the Champions League, which is very much the pinnacle of club football in not just Europe but across the world.
And Ibrox – remember that ground? – is very much one of the great stadiums in the competition, even if it is a bit dated in parts.
More than anything, though, losing to Dynamo Kyiv means missing out on a £4million upfront payment [Scottish Daily Mail, 12 August] that would have gone on transfers.
It is a defeat that is damaging in more ways than one, and the pressure is now on Philippe Clement to get things right domestically.
In other Rangers news, a pundit fears Clement could walk out on the job.
For more Rangers news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.