Rangers host Czech side Jablonec at Ibrox tonight in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League playoff qualifier, with manager Derek McInnes seeking a positive result to secure group stage football.
The Glasgow club entered the Conference League qualifiers after being eliminated from Europa League contention by Polish side Jagiellonia Bialystok. That defeat came during a four-match winless start to the season, though McInnes recorded his first victory as manager on Sunday with a 5-1 win over St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup.
The exit from the Europa League prompted reaction among supporters on social media regarding the club's recent European standing. Four years ago, Rangers defeated Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig on their run to the Europa League final, and faced Liverpool, Napoli and Ajax in the Champions League group stage the following season.
Conference League stakes and financial rewards
Although some view the UEFA Conference League as a lesser competition, its previous winners since launching in 2021 include Roma, West Ham, Olympiacos, Chelsea and Crystal Palace. Italian side Atalanta, who won the Europa League two seasons ago and reached the Champions League last 16 last season, play Hapoel Tel Aviv in a Conference League qualifier tonight.
A range of prominent European clubs are competing in this season's Conference League qualifiers, including FC Copenhagen, Midtjylland, Brighton, Monaco, Ajax, Panathinaikos, Freiburg and Braga. Defeat over two legs against Jablonec would leave Rangers without European competition for the remainder of the season.
Reaching the group stage guarantees £2.7million in qualification revenue, with an additional £340,000 awarded for every group stage victory. While lower than Champions League income, the financial stakes remain significant for Rangers.
Jablonec present a tough test for McInnes's side at Ibrox. The Czech side currently occupy second place in their domestic top flight and arrive in Scotland following six consecutive victories across all competitions.
Manager Derek McInnes on opposition and squad depth
Speaking ahead of the match at Ibrox, McInnes addressed questions surrounding match favourites. "It is difficult to assess who are favourites and who are not," McInnes said. "I am not really bothered by that."
McInnes stressed that Rangers must focus on their own game while acknowledging the tactical threat posed by their opponents. "The emphasis is on ourselves to go and win the game," McInnes said. "You watch them, but you can never fully tell because they are playing teams in their own league and the teams they have faced in Europe may not be at our level."
"At the same time, you can only take on what is in front of you," McInnes added. "They are clearly well organised and have a few good individuals who can make the game problematic. They can also change shape, even with the same personnel, so we have to be ready for that."
"But I want us to concentrate on finding our level and getting big individual performances," McInnes said. "I am expecting a tough game, but if we do that, I expect it to be tougher for them."
McInnes has reinforced his squad with the additions of left-back James Penrice and right-back Kosta Nedeljkovic. Nedeljkovic trained alongside Vanja Dragojevic and Bojan Miovski ahead of the fixture, and both new arrivals are expected to feature in the matchday squad on Thursday. Penrice marked his debut against St Mirren with a goal and an assist, earning man of the match honors.
Building momentum for the second leg in Czechia
Following Sunday's domestic victory, McInnes wants his side to establish momentum before traveling abroad for the return leg. "We are always looking for that," McInnes said. "If we can get another win and take a victory over to the Czech Republic next week, that will help."
"We have looked at the opposition over the last few days, but you also have to concentrate on yourselves and what you want to do," McInnes added. "If the players can be individually strong as they were at the weekend, that gives us a good chance. Our best physical output came against Hibs after travelling from Poland, and I thought that was a decent performance in terms of effort."
"The lads were rewarded for that effort again on Sunday," McInnes said. "It was important to win for so many reasons. The supporters needed to see a winning team, and it was nice to get a few goals and good individual performances. If we follow it up with another win, it can only help before we travel to the Czech Republic."
A victory over Jablonec at Ibrox would position Rangers favorably ahead of next week's second leg in the Czech Republic, whereas repeating the errors from their defeat to Jagiellonia Bialystok would disrupt recent progress under McInnes.
