---
title: "Rangers: Frank McAvennie discusses Champions League implications"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/rangers-gers-ibrox-steven-gerrard-champions-league-frank-mcavennie-malmo/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "jonathan radcliffe"
section: "Features"
published: "2021-08-11T19:35:02Z"
modified: "2021-08-11T19:35:02Z"
---

# Rangers: Frank McAvennie discusses Champions League implications

**Frank McAvennie believes Glasgow Rangers’ exit from the Champions League will be a disaster for the Ibrox outfit.**

### **The Lowdown: Gers out of Champions League**

The Gers’ Premiership title win will have left Steven Gerrard and co hopeful that they could reach the group stages of this season’s Champions League.

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However, they bowed out at the first hurdle as they lost 4-2 on aggregate to Swedish side Malmo in the third qualifying round.

### **The Latest: McAvennie worried**

[Speaking to Football Insider](https://www.footballinsider247.com/mcavennie-rangers-must-beat-malmo-tonight-the-board-have-already-spent-the-group-stage-money/) – albeit prior to the second leg on Tuesday – McAvennie suggested it would be a disaster for the Gers if they did not manage to get past Malmo. He said:

> *“The pressure is really on now.*
>
> *“Knowing the Rangers board, they have probably spent the group stage money already.*
>
> *“I think they had an eye on tonight’s game when playing Dundee but they should have still won.*
>
> *“Rangers will be a different proposition tonight I’m sure. They just didn’t perform at the weekend.*
>
> *“They need to start well so the crowd don’t get on their back.*
>
> *“It’s a hard task but I think they will win. It would be a disaster if they lost.”*

### **The Verdict: Must be clever**

It is of course not good news for the Gers to bow out of the competition before it could become truly lucrative. A place in the group stages could have brought in £30m for the club ([The Glasgow Times](https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/sport/19505269.rangers-will-need-sell-players-balance-books-champions-league-exit-says-stewart/)), money which would have been huge for the Scottish side.

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However, they are unlikely to be in a perilous position as long as they are careful. Stewart Robertson said last term that the Gers will need to sell players in the future anyway ([BBC](https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/55321442)), and the Gers do have plenty of valuable assets ([Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/glasgow-rangers/startseite/verein/124)).

Missing out on the Champions League is a blow, but that does not mean they are out of European competitions altogether – they still have a chance of reaching the Europa League group stages, and any sales of star players like Alfredo Morelos could do more than enough to atone for Tuesday night’s financial hit.

***In other news, [Rangers fans are livid at this SPFL move.](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/rangers-fc-news/rangers-gers-ibrox-steven-gerrard-spfl-murdoch-maclennan-livingston-premiership/)***