Rangers travel to Belgium to face Club Brugge in what will be a real test of Russell Martin and his men’s metal. 3-1 down, a mountain to climb, can they finally turn the tide and get a history making victory.
In 70 years of European history no Rangers side has progressed from a two-legged affair after losing the opening match at Ibrox.
Martin must change that fact and do the previously impossible and snatch victory abroad from the jaws of domestic defeat.
He will be forced to do so without Hamza Igamane, with the forward banished after refusing to come on as a substitute against St Mirren in Paisley last Sunday. The Moroccan looks set to head to France to join Ligue 1 side Lille, with a £10.4m bid accepted.
He will also be without Kieran Dowell; the midfielder has been ruled out with a foot injury as we exclusively revealed yesterday and has not made the squad for tonight’s second leg.
Also absent are Cyriel Dessers, still not fully fit after injuring himself in the previous round’s second leg tie away to Czech side Viktoria Plzen. Danilo returns to lead the line with Thelo Aasgaard returning to a more natural midfield role.
Captain James Tavernier remains benched for loanee Max Aarons at right back, despite the ex-Norwich man’s less than stellar start to Ibrox life.
The full squad is as follows; Jack Butland remains in goals, with Nasser Djiga returning at the heart of defence alongside captain for the night John Souttar. Jayden Meghoma operates at left back on the opposite side from Aarons.
Joe Rothwell continues in midfield, despite fans voicing concern over both his level of performance and level of fitness in his recent Rangers outings.
Alongside him are Aasgaard, dropping back to the middle after a surprising start up front against the Buddies, and Lyall Cameron, a rare bright spark of the season so far after his free transfer from Dundee in the summer.
Oliver Antman and Djeidi Gassama start on the wing, with big performances required from both. Gassama has been a shining light of consistency so far, whilst the Finn must recapture his debut form after declining in recent showings.
Danilo is up top with a big shift required from the £6m Brazilian who scored Rangers one goal in the first leg.
The subs are, Liam Kelly, Kieran Wright, Tavernier, Connor Barron, Dessers, Mohammed Diomande, Nico Raskin, Emmanuel Fernandez, Findlay Curtis and Mikey Moore.
Also listed are youth players Josh Gentles and Zander Hutton, both of whom appeared under Martin in pre-season.
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Rangers face a daunting task in Belgium tonight, but football has a habit of producing the unexpected.
The stage is set for a defining night in Bruges, and all eyes will be on whether Martin’s men can rewrite history.