Rangers pre-season plans are gathering pace with further information expected on a friendly game against Blackpool at Bloomfield Road.
At present, two relatively high-profile games have been announced so far against Sunderland and Tottenham Hotspur, respectively.
VitalRangers understands that the away game in the north-west of England pencilled in for mid-July, which would be well received by the club’s loyal and dedicated regular away support is close to completion but not finalised just yet. It is now up to both clubs to set out and confirm the finer details.
A reputable source close to the hosts stated:
“Things should start to move soon following the appointment of our Head Coach this week. The other delay was regarding approval from the authorities for such a ‘high profile’ game, given the numbers of fans involved. It will be good for the town.”
Who do Rangers play in pre-season friendly games and what is the schedule
Giovanni van Bronckhorst will see his squad assemble for pre-season training on Monday 27th June, with some added rest time likely for players involved with their national teams over the last few weeks.
A bounce game against Partick Thistle has been mooted for Saturday 2nd July on a behind closed doors basis, just prior to the warm weather training camp in the Algarve, Portugal. A week of hard work and preparation will be followed by the game against Alex Neil’s Sunderland on Saturday 9th July at the Estadio Municipal de Albufeira with the fixture being screened live by Premier Sports.
Previous reports from France intimated that Ligue 1 side Rennes would be travelling to Glasgow for a game, but there has been no further information on this.
In preparation for the Premiership curtain-raiser on Saturday 30th July away to Livingston, Rangers will take on Antonio Conte’s Spurs at Ibrox on Saturday 23rd July in what should be a beneficial clash for both squads ahead of the competitive domestic action to follow shortly after.
Last year, Rangers played six practice games ahead of what would be Steven Gerrard’s last few months in charge and now Gio leads from the front as well as from the outset of a new season, aiming to truly stamp his mark on the squad in the pursuit of fresh success.