It has been a summer of change for Rangers.
New ownership. New management. New players. But how will it all look on the pitch?
For the fourth straight season last year, Rangers fell short in the Scottish Premiership as Celtic sealed the title. And it was another trophyless campaign for the Gers, with just one piece of silverware (2023/24 Scottish League Cup) secured over the last three years.
Head coach Russell Martin arrives to fix not only the team on the field, but change the culture and vibe around Ibrox after Philippe Clement was shown the exit door and Barry Ferguson closed out the season in charge.
The first task for Martin is a Champions League second qualifying round match against Panathinaikos at home. Rangers have enjoyed great success in the Europa League in recent seasons, and we consider how they might line up for their first competitive game of the year...
How did the team look last year?
A typical Rangers XI last season might have looked like this:
Defence was a big problem, with the team keeping just one clean sheet in their final 13 league games. Part of that was due to rotation - Ridvan Yilmaz, Dujon Sterling and Leon Balogun also came in and out of the side - but Rangers need to upgrade.
Robin Propper is on the way out - if personal terms can be agreed - after Rangers accepted an offer from FC Twente. John Souttar has drawn interest from Trabzonspor and with some new centre-backs through the door already, he may not be an every-week starter.
In midfield, Nico Raskin and Mohamed Diomande are two of Rangers' rising stars, and Connor Barron remains a reliable squad option. Nedim Bajrami also played plenty, and Ianis Hagi was significantly involved, but both faced a lot of scrutiny from the fans. Hagi has left the club, but Bajrami has the chance to redeem himself.
Outside of on-loan Vaclav Cerny (18 goals in 52 appearances), Hamza Igamane (16 in 46) and Cyriel Dessers (29 in 55), there was simply not enough firepower up-front. Tom Lawrence (6 in 28), Danilo (6 in 27) and Ross McCausland (3 in 25) failed to make an impact.
Which players hold their places from last season?
While Martin will implement a new style and make changes over the course of this season and beyond, he has no choice but to keep some continuity.
He has held firm on James Tavernier as the captain figure and mainstay in the locker room. Whether or not Tavernier plays 50 games a season like he has for the last decade remains to be seen, but he will be at the forefront early. With no new keepers through the door yet, Jack Butland will likely be between the sticks, despite being dropped for Liam Kelly to end last season.
Jefte, a dribbling left-back who loves to get forward, could thrive in Martin's system, and as mentioned above, Raskin and Diomande won't be dropped.
Igamane, if healthy and available, is the best striker at the club, and despite Lille showing firm interest, he has since returned to training with the first team. Dessers has also been linked to an exit, but will Martin give him a shot?
Some of the more interesting names standing out in the pre-season are former £6.5m striker Danilo (in and out of the side last year), Kieran Dowell (returning from loan), Oscar Cortes (oft-injured) and Findlay Curtis (youth player). Danilo, in particular, seems to have jumped to the top of the striking pecking order.
Which of the new signings are ready to go?
Rangers' summer transfer tally is up to seven after the confirmation of Djeidi Gassama last week. Thelo Aasgard, Joe Rothwell, Emmanuel Fernandez and Lyall Cameron have signed permanently, while Nasser Djiga and Max Aarons have joined on loan.
Where will Aarons fit in? In the friendly draw against Club Brugge, he started at right-back. Against Barnsley, he started at left-back. He appears likely to be in the XI.
Djiga, Rothwell and Aasgard would be the most likely candidates to go straight into the starting lineup, while Fernandez might be brought along more slowly and Cameron missed the start of pre-season struggling with a calf injury.
Unfortunately, Aasgard suffered an injury in a behind-closed-doors game and is a "touch and go" for Tuesday according to Martin, which leaves the door open for someone else to make their case moving forward.
The game will come too soon for Gassama's first start, but he will likely be involved more in the second leg.
The starting XI vs Panathinaikos
Putting it all together, this is what the starting side could look like:
There is a strong case for starting the naturally left-footed Jefte, but Aarons gets the nod. Djiga provides more experience than Fernandez.
Dowell has secured a spot by virtue of a lack of available wingers, but perhaps Bajrami sneaks in? Or is the formation adapted to fit in two strikers? Danilo has earned a starting place through his pre-season, but it might be hard to leave a fit Igamane out.
However he lines up, the pressure is on Martin to deliver a result at Ibrox.
Rangers fixtures: Motherwell opener live on Sky Sports
Rangers will kick off their 2025/26 Scottish Premiership season at Motherwell on Saturday August 2, live on Sky Sports.
Martin's first Scottish Premiership game at Ibrox will take place on Saturday August 9 against Steven Pressley's Dundee.
The first Old Firm clash of the season takes place on Sunday August 31 live on Sky Sports as Celtic travel to Ibrox, a fixture that could be key as Martin's side look to close the gap on their city rivals this season.
The sides will meet again at Celtic Park on Wednesday January 3 - live on Sky Sports - with their final pre-split meeting at Ibrox on February 28.
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The leader should be James Tavernier as usual I expect a win for our rivals They are just so good in Europe