Not since 1st May 2008 have Rangers fans gone into a match with as much anticipation as Sunday’s semi-final against Celtic at Hampden. That was the night they travelled to Fiorentina in the UEFA Cup semi-final with the tie poised at 0-0, needing some sort of result to make their first European final since 1972, which they duly managed.
Since then there have been highs, three SPL titles in a row for instance, and lows, having to rebuild almost everything from the bottom tier of Scottish football.
No match though has had quite as much on the line as this weekend’s match. On their promotion to the Scottish Premiership last summer, many fancied Rangers to be a lot more competitive than they’ve turned out to be. Mark Warburton failed to cope with the challenge of Celtic, faltering on multiple occasions before eventually departing.
It leaves the Hoops on the brink of an unprecedented season, not only having the chance to win a rare domestic treble of trophies, but also go the entire campaign undefeated.
Rangers are one of the few teams remaining standing in their way and supporters have a desperate need for their team to produce one incredible 90 minutes and burst the Brendan Rodgers bubble.
Here are three reasons why this game is the biggest since that fateful night in Florence…
Stopping the treble
Trebles come along rarely in Scottish football, which may be surprising to outsiders who consider Rangers and Celtic to win every trophy between them every single year. The Scottish Cup has been surprisingly competitive over the last 10 years with 7 different winners and the League Cup is often a competition that the likes of Celtic can take for granted.
When the chance of a treble does come along though, supporters crave it like nothing else. There’s nothing quite like rubbing it in to rival supporters than with the three domestic trophies in the cabinet.
On the other side it hurts too, Celtic fans know how it feels when Rangers win the treble, which is why they’re so excited about potentially winning it this season.
If the Gers don’t stop them then who will? They’re the only side left in the competition who has even drawn with them this season. Hibs or Aberdeen would give it a go in the final but it’s truly the semi that the Hoops are most at risk in.
If Rangers can pick up a win, it’ll be won supporters have celebrated like no other since that UEFA Cup semi-final in 2008.
Laying the foundations
Even casting aside the ambitions of Celtic, the situation of Rangers alone right now makes Sunday’s match-up absolute massive.
Pedro Caixinha has just arrived with the task of bringing the Gers closer to Celtic over the next 12 months in the league and cups. While on paper they are still miles off the pace of the Scottish champions, a win at Hampden would put down and marker to the rest of Scottish football that the Rangers they once feared have returned to compete for the big trophies once again.
There are still some question marks around the new boss and a win could lay the foundations for genuine progress under the Portuguese, building momentum and a good feeling that would be hard to compete with. There’s nothing quite like Ibrox packed full with 50,000 fans all pulling in the same direction.
A win on Sunday would go a long way towards making that happen.
Major silverware again
Rangers haven’t won the Scottish Cup since way back in 2009. For most supporters who grew up with the club in the late 80s, 90s and 00s, going that long without success in the tournament is unheard of.
A win against Celtic, like last year, would put them within touching distance again of a major honour once again. They lost out last season against Hibs in a heartbreaking final but the players would surely redeem themselves this time around.
Winning competitions like the Scottish Cup has been what supporters have been dreaming of over the last few years as the club rose through the lower leagues and best Celtic for a second season in a row in the competition would surely provide the springboard for that to happen.
