A summer of change, stadium issues and poor pre-season results – it's been a tough few weeks for Rangers fans ahead of the new season.
A number of experienced players have left the team over the summer, while several new faces have joined, and Philippe Clement has admitted they face a “massive rebuild”.
A run of three losses and a draw in four pre-season friendlies did little to calm the nerves of supporters ahead of the game.
The club were also disappointed to learn that home games would be moved to Hampden Park early in the season due to delays to construction at the Ibrox Stadium.
Despite all the problems, their quest for Champions League qualification could set the club's season alight and beyond. So why is qualifying so important?
Feel good factor
Rangers drew with Dynamo Kyiv as Cyriel Dessers scored with the last kick of the game.
Some had Rangers as underdogs heading into their third-round qualifier against Dynamo Kyiv, after a goalless draw at Hearts in their Premier League opener. But when Kyriel Dessus scored with the last kick of the game against Kyiv, it sealed a well-earned draw that could go down as a key moment of the club's season.
Why? Because it seemed to give the players a real boost as they enjoyed a big performance at home. The goal would not have hurt Dessers' confidence either. The striker continues to be doubted by some fans, but he scored another goal at Hampden Park as Rangers won their first game of the season, beating Motherwell 2-1 in the league.
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Watch highlights from Rangers' win over Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership
The momentum and confidence is enormous, especially when you have a game every few days. So it’s no surprise that Clement is hoping his players can continue to ride that wave as they welcome Dynamo Kyiv to Hampden on Tuesday. That confidence will only grow if Rangers get over the line, and the players will know they are just 180 minutes away from a lucrative new league stage if they beat RB Salzburg or FC Twente.
Last summer's play-off defeat to PSV showed that it is by no means an easy task, but perhaps qualification for the Champions League is not such a pipe dream as some might have thought just a few weeks ago.
Transmission Boost
Vaclav Cerny – one of nine summer signings – scored on his first start for Rangers.
Rangers have set their summer transfer budget based on their Europa League qualification, but Clement could spend significantly more if they qualify for the Champions League.
The club added nine players this summer, with Robin Propper, Vaclav Cerny, Hamza Igamane, Jeffe, Clinton Nsiala, Liam Kelly and Conor Barron joining, while Oscar Cortes returned on loan with an obligation to buy next summer and Mohamed Diomande made his loan move permanent.
But the manager will be keen to add more quality to his squad, and with Rangers needing to reach the new Champions League level, the club could earn at least £36m, almost three times the amount offered by the Europa League group.
If Rangers get past Chiou and beat RB Salzburg or FC Twente, Clement will only have a few days to strengthen his squad as the second leg of the play-offs takes place on August 27 and the transfer window closes on August 31.
But Clement says qualification for the Champions League would make a “massive difference” to his plans for this transfer window and future ones.
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Philippe Clement reveals Champions League qualification would create 'another budget'
“I think we can do it quicker,” Clement said when asked how qualifying for the Champions League would help his transfer plans. “We don't have a set budget to go to the Champions League and that's the best way to do it. Some teams have done that in the past and it's caused huge financial problems, so we obviously can't do that.
“Of course, if we can go to the Champions League, there will be another budget, but the only problem is that it is the last hour of the transfer market. But it will be important. It may be so now, but for the future of the club.
“We will do everything to succeed, but when you look at all the teams competing for it, you know there are a lot of clubs with bigger budgets than us. That's the reality. But we will work really hard to qualify. Let's focus on the game in Kiiu first, because we have to win that game.”
A twist in the title race?
Clement is yet to beat Brendan Rodgers' Celtic.
Celtic are the team to watch in the Scottish Premiership this season. The champions look better than last time and Brendan Rodgers is still hoping to add to his squad. However, things could get interesting if Rangers qualify for the Champions League.
The aforementioned boost in confidence and additional transfer power could give Rangers a new look and keep them within arm's reach of their rivals. If so, Clement's next challenge will be to beat Rodgers. He hasn't done it yet. The challenge of beating Celtic is difficult but not necessarily insurmountable, and qualification for the Champions League would certainly help Rangers.
Clement has a lot of hurdles to overcome as he leads his team. Kiwi is the first, with two more to follow, and if Rangers can successfully get past all three to qualify for the Champions League, things could look a lot brighter than they have in recent weeks.
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