Trevor Steven: Why Europa League success would be priceless for Rangers
The fact that 100,000 Rangers supporters are expected to migrate to Seville this week for the Europa League final tells you just how big a game it is for my old club.
Eintracht Frankfurt may be the favourites to lift the trophy on Wednesday night in southern Spain but I believe Rangers have a real chance of causing an upset.
It would be absolutely enormous if they do it, given that it is just 10 years since their demotion to the fourth tier of Scottish football.
But it is not just about the trophy; winning would also get them into the Champions League and therefore allow them to compete financially and for players with Celtic, who have already secured a place in Europe’s top competition.
It is often said that the Championship play-off final is the most lucrative match in football. But for Rangers winning this Europa League would be priceless.
They did not look like being in this position late last year after Steven Gerrard stepped down as manager to join Aston Villa and they fell off the pace in the Scottish Premiership.
But new boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst deserves great credit for overseeing a European campaign that makes up for the loss of their title.
It was touch and go whether Rangers would even make it out of their Europa League group when he took over but four points in the last two games proved just enough and since then they have gone from strength to strength.
How Dortmund tie made Rangers believe
The penny dropped after the 4-2 win at Borussia Dortmund in February. Yes, it might have been different had Erling Haaland been fit for Dortmund but no one will remember that. This was the point when the squad realised that if they could do that they could do almost anything.
The list of other teams Rangers have left in their wake – RB Leipzig, Braga, Red Star Belgrade – is also impressive.
Van Bronckhorst has fundamentally changed the playing style since taking over, switching from Gerrard’s favoured 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1.
This has given them more solidity, with holding midfielders protecting the back four, but also flexibility as they can switch to three centre-backs. It means they have a good Plan A and Plan B.
Unfortunately Rangers will be without Alfredo Morelos, who is sidelined with a thigh injury and is a big miss in a one-off game like this.
In his absence it will fall to others to be the matchwinner, and Joe Aribo has grown into a player capable of doing that since his move from Charlton Athletic.
Rangers have benefited hugely from the Ibrox factor on their European run, but they’re on neutral territory for the final so will need to find their own momentum.
The occasion comes with pressure and requires Van Bronckhorst’s men to show bravery on the ball. They need cold blood and calm heads.
Eintracht Frankfurt are a good team who, like Rangers, have clearly focused on Europe ahead of their domestic campaign.
They have been unbeatable in the Europa League and have seen off the likes of Barcelona and West Ham.
But, 50 years on from Rangers lifting their last European trophy, sometimes things are just written in the stars.
Trevor Steven is a former England footballer who played at two World Cups and two European Championships. @TrevorSteven63.