Rangers v Jablonec is the tie that will now shape the remainder of the European season, after Derek McInnes’s side dropped out of Europa League in dismal fashion on Thursday.
Rangers lost 3-2 on aggregate to Jagiellonia Bialystok following Thursday’s meek 1-1 draw at Ibrox
Now with the Conference League Playoff on the horizon, the Czech side’s head coach, Lubos Kozel, has already suggested the weight of expectation in Glasgow is a problem that Derek McInnes’ team cannot shake off.
Kozel believes Rangers’ own expectations are weighing them down ahead of the two-legged showdown, as reported by the Evening Time.
It could be considered mind games, but the truth is that the Czech side don’t need it.
The exit to Jagiellonia was McInnes’s fourth competitive match without a win, while Jablonec have taken full points from their opening three league games.
That’s a concern.
What Jablonec means for McInnes
The stakes are high, yet simple and severe.
Win the play-off and Rangers are in a European League phase, with the revenue and opportunity that brings, even if there is little enthusiasm for it among the Rangers supporters.
Lose it and there is no continental football at all, and McInnes moves into a position that could be untenable.
The same could be said for Sunday’s League Cup tie against St. Mirren.
What a mess once again for Rangers.
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