It's been a difficult season for Rangers to date.
The club are way behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership, and off-field turmoil has only recently settled down with the appointment of a CEO and new chairman.
Philippe Clement has had to firefight at several points during the campaign, coming under intense scrutiny with poor runs of results.
However, it's been a much more positive start to the calendar year for the Ibrox club, which was personified perfectly when they secured a top-eight finish in the Europa League league phase last night.
The 2-1 victory over Union Saint-Gilloise ensured the club's automatic passage into the last-16 of the UEFA competition. This means they don't have to play two additional games in the play-off.
It is already known that Rangers will play the winner of Twente Vs Bodø/Glimt or Fenerbache Vs Anderlecht. The draw will be confirmed on Friday, February 21.
The first leg will be away from home on Thursday, March 6, while the return leg will be played at Ibrox a week later on Thursday, March 13.
Read more:
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Jaw-dropping gulf between Celtic & Rangers UEFA league phase earnings laid bare
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Rangers' brutal run to Europa League knockouts laid bare in top-eight comparison
We already know that Rangers have banked €10.935m for their efforts in the league phase. Overall, their earnings from this season's Europa League venture sit at €18m.
But what will they earn if they manage to progress past the round of 16 and into the quarter-finals?
Well, Scotland's Coefficient states that winning the last-16 tie against would see the Ibrox club pocket a further €2.5m
No of these figures include legacy UEFA payments or ticket sales - purely participation, qualification and performance fees.
While it may not been the kind of money that Celtic have access to racking up in the Champions League, it very much represents a tasty bonus for Rangers and highlights the importance of going as deep in the competition as possible.
