Stade de Geneve will be the setting for Michael Beale’s first European away tie as Rangers boss but memories of the past still linger.
Famous nights in Porto, Lisbon and Feyenoord will provide confidence to Beale as he looks to navigate past a resolute Servette side to secure a £5 million windfall by reaching the play-off clash. A rematch with PSV will likely await Rangers if they avoid defeat in Geneva and avenging last season’s nightmare group stage campaign will act as inspiration for a number of the squad.
Beale was Steven Gerrard’s trusted lieutenant on many special Europa League nights as Rangers defied expectations to reach the knockout stages. Adventures on the continent spark stories that last for decades but Beale also knows the pitfalls of such occasions. Malmo ended Rangers’ Champions League dreams in the qualifying stages in 2021 and Beale followed Gerrard out the exit door at Ibrox just months after.
The only consolation from that Malmo defeat was the safety net of the Europa League but that turned into a blessing in disguise as Rangers embarked on a stunning run to reach the final against Frankfurt. Beale missed out on some iconic nights on the road to Seville but he hopes his Rangers team can emulate the achievements of the past.
“All of the favourite ones probably came in the season that I wasn’t here,” Beale admitted on his favourite European nights. “We’ve done really well away from home in Europe. Porto away was a special night because we dominated and the team grew from that.
"Benfica away and Feyenoord were other nights and you think all the way back to Ufa. I remember going away to Progres and it’s difficult with the weather, pitch, officials - it’s a great leveller and we will have to be at our best tomorrow.”
The tie is delicately poised following the first leg at Ibrox with Rangers carrying a 2-1 lead into tonight’s game. Beale’s men failed to capitalise on their one-man advantage for the final half-hour last week but they are still favourites to progress.
Servette have sold-out their 30,000 stadium for the first time since it’s opening 20 years ago and while the Swiss side will come flying out the traps, Beale insists Rangers won’t sit back and protect their lead.
He said: “We’ll have to start strong. We expect them to come out and have a go at us. Obviously, you only have a small sort of example in terms of the games they’ve played at home so far this season but overall the home form for Servette is outstanding over a number of months. It’s important we start well for sure.
“It's about being hard to beat and setting up really well. There has to be a lot of cohesion and organisation in the game. The home team needs to win the game so there will be opportunities if you can win the ball in interesting areas and attack with speed. It will be an even contest and open because there has to be an outcome on the night. We are ready for everything that will come our way.
“We are really focused. We did a good job last week to get ourselves in front but this game now starts 0-0 and it’s important that we try to win again. If we do that then we know that we’re definitely through. It’s hugely important for the club, fans and us. We need to attack the game head-on.
“I think we’ve got enough in our squad in terms of the big spaces and being able to attack quickly. It’s something in our away form domestically since I came back into the club and in Europe, too. We’ve always been good at it. If Servette come right after us, there will be spaces. If the game is played in the middle zone, we’ll have to problem solve as well.”
Servette defied the odds to beat Genk in the previous round and the Swiss will be strengthened by the return of their star man Enzo Crivelli. It’s been an unconvincing start to the campaign for Rangers with the shock 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership opener sparking a huge inquest amongst supporters.
The reality, however, is that Beale has overseen huge changes in his squad this summer - change that fans were demanding after a season where arch-rivals Celtic dominated domestically. Patience is a rare commodity in modern football, and any hint of it will vanish if Rangers don’t progress tonight, but there were promising signs against Livingston on Saturday.
After an encouraging first half, Rangers laboured after the interval as the natives grew restless until a dazzling final 15 minutes resulted in three goals and a sense of optimism.
“It was really nice for the new players coming into the club,” Beale admitted. “Livi came to sit and make it really tough. We missed big chances before we actually got the second, third and fourth goals. But it was nice and what it shows is that we wore them down as the game went on. The game is 90-plus minutes now and sometimes it’s a battle of the clock. I thought we got our just desserts at the weekend for some of the football earlier in the game moving them around. It was nice we got a big impact off the bench as well for sure.”
Rangers are guaranteed European group-stage football this season, but the financial incentives of beating Servette have ramped up the pressure ahead of tonight.
Beale knows all about the expectation levels at Rangers - and how one defeat can be viewed as a disaster - so will he be able to enjoy his maiden European away bout?
“These occasions are hugely enjoyable in terms of the build-up and all the different styles you face, but ultimately it’s only enjoyable if you get to the next phase,” he said. “We’ve come to win. We’ve come to win and if we perform to our level that gives us a good chance. We want to be positive and on the front foot wherever we go, so there won’t be too much of a change in our normal setup. One thing’s for sure, we’re not coming here to hold on to what we’ve got.”
