Gabby Agbonlahor makes Rangers claim live on talkSPORT every fan will love
Rangers are still clinging onto the Europa League to restore overall pride in an otherwise disappointing season on the whole.
It comes without doubt that the past week has been the brightest by far for Gers fans all season, with the defiant Europa League victory over Fenerbahce followed by Sunday’s dramatic 3-2 win at Celtic Park.
There appears a ‘nothing-to-lose’ mentality under Barry Ferguson, who with his staff is drilling into his squad what it really should mean to pull on the blue shirt at Ibrox.
Rangers chances of winning Europa League discussed
Gabby Agbonlahor is among those to have debated the chances of Rangers going all the way and lifting the European trophy in Bilbao this year. The next step is to navigate a way past the final’s host side, Athletic Club, in the quarter-finals.
It may be a consideration beyond the wildest dreams of some fans, while others could be inclined to feel a little more ambitious towards the competition given their runs to the final in both 2008 and 2022.
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur – two of Rangers’ league phase opponents against whom they gave as good as they got – both remain in the last eight with their own desperation to use the Europa League as a saving grace of their horrendous domestic seasons.
Agbonlahor, speaking live on talkSPORT (20 March, 06:37), firstly mentioned Spurs: “There’s no reason why [Tottenham] can’t go and win it.”
The former Aston Villa and England forward then added Rangers into the mix of potential winners, alongside Man United.
“Look at the teams left… Manchester United, Rangers and Spurs all have a chance of winning it,” he added.
Ange Postecoglou is under immense scrutiny at Tottenham – who salvaged a draw at Ibrox back in December against a Philippe Clement-inspired Rangers side – and next meets Eintracht Frankfurt, Gers’ final opponents three years ago.
Ruben Amorim’s Man United outfit snatched a late win over the Light Blues at Old Trafford in January, and they take on Lyon in the quarters.
Ferguson must manage two Scottish Premiership fixtures first
Rangers set up the tie to face the Basque force of Athletic Club on 10 April at Ibrox, before heading to Bilbao a week later to complete the tie and aim for a shot at the semi-finals.
Firstly, however, Ferguson must refocus his team after the international break towards league matches against Dundee (29 March) and Hibernian (5 April).
| Rangers – next matches | |
| 29 March | Dundee (A) |
| 5 April | Hibernian (H) |
| 10 April | Athletic Club (H) |
| 13 April | Aberdeen (A) |
| 17 April | Athletic Club (A) |
While the title has been out of sight for months, Gers can still have every chance of rekindling some pride into the league campaign by further closing the gap towards Celtic.
The hope is that Rangers can build a sustained challenge from next year onwards, particularly should the planned US takeover go through and stretch their financial capabilities to, in time, match that of their bitter rivals.