Rangers host Young Boys at Ibrox this evening in the Europa League, in what’s become their biggest game of the season so far.

They don’t come into the fixture on the back of good results.

The Gers threw away a two goal lead to draw with Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership last week, a result which saw Steven Gerrard’s men fall behind Celtic in the race for the league title.

They then followed that up with a loss to fierce rivals Celtic in the League Cup final at Hampden this past weekend. Rangers hammered The Hoops but couldn’t find that all important goal and then suffered as the opposition found the net with one of their few chances.

It’s now vitally important that Gers manager Gerrard halts that slide of poor results and gets a positive one tonight.

Not just will it be enough to see the Glasgow giants through to the next round of the Europa League, a huge boost for the Light Blues given their tough group but it will also see them ready to go full tilt in the league again after a nice much needed confidence boost.

The club should also be buoyed by the fact that their manager is on the verge of signing a new deal at Ibrox:

“The Club approached me probably a week, 10 days ago about a new deal and it’s a pretty simple decision as far as I’m concerned,”

“I’m happy here and I’m as hungry and determined to get the good days back here as I ever was so talks have been pretty straightforward and positive.”

Via The Mirror

That news was followed up with more positivity as The Herald reported that key veterans Allan McGregor, Steven Davis and Jermain Defoe were also about to pen new deals to stay in Govan.

While new contracts will offer the support a boost, a win over Swiss side Young Boys will be huge for the club as a whole.

The Light Blues will feel that they owe Young Boys one, after throwing away an advantage the last time they met in Bern, two mistakes from captain James Tavernier cost Rangers that night.

A jumping, loud Ibrox will provide a different atmosphere for their Swiss counterparts and it could be vital that Rangers take advantage.

To stay in Europe beyond Christmas would have felt like a pipe dream back in the summer of 2017, when Rangers failed to beat Progres in Luxembourg during initial qualifying in the Europa League that year.

That shows you just how far Rangers have come under Gerrard. A positive result tonight could once again provide them a platform to build the rest of their campaign around.

Another big blow and the wheels may just come off!

Posted on December 12th, 2019 by scott
Filed under: Article