Europa League: Union Saint-Gilloise in form again for Rangers test

Rangers know a win against Union Saint-Gilloise guarantees them a seeded play-off spot in the next round of the Europa League and may yet be enough to clinch a top-eight place and therefore automatic qualification for the last 16.

However, their Belgian opponents have the same ambitions as they look to maintain a remarkable turnaround in form this season.

Their story of having emerged from 48 years of obscurity by winning the second-tier title in 2021 is by now pretty well known, as is the role played in that rise from the ashes by the Brighton owner Tony Bloom and his analytical approach to player trading.

Their fairy tale-like performance in that first season back in the top flight, when they came so close to winning the title, was also well documented before the Champions League qualifier their second-placed finish set up with Rangers in 2022.

The Ibrox side, well beaten in the away leg, would go on to turn the tie around en route to their own return to the Champions League, but USG have continued to prosper.

They reached the Europa League quarter-finals that same season and have since established themselves as a force in Belgian football once more with a third-placed finish and another runners-up position as well as a first major trophy in almost 90 years as they claimed the Belgian Cup at the end of last season.

But it all looked like it was going wrong at the beginning of this campaign.