Rangers will be aiming to kick off their Europa League campaign with a bang when they face Gibraltan side St Joseph's FC at Victoria Stadium on Tuesday at 4:55 PM (BST).

Steven Gerrard's side will be confident of securing a positive result in this leg and taking a lead back to Ibrox in the return leg which would put them in pole position for progression to the second round.

Potential slip ups

However, this is not the first time that one of the Old Firm has faced a side from Gibraltar in European competition.

In 2016, Lincoln Red Imp's shocked the footballing world when they defeated a Celtic side led by Brendan Rodgers 1-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League 2nd qualifying round.

Celtic did win the return leg comfortably and progressed to the following round as a result but this episode will serve as a warning for the 'Gers and it will ensure that they treat their opponents with respect.

Heading into the game

The Gers have yet to play a competitive game so far this season. However, they tested themselves in a friendly against League One side Oxford United - a test that they passed with flying colours as they ran away 5-0 winners.

Although it was only a friendly, fans of the light blues will be pleased with the emphatic nature of the win and will be hopeful that the side can put in a similar performance on Tuesday when it really matters. 

St Joseph's earned their place in this round after an impressive 3-1 aggregate win over Kosovan side Prishtina and this win has filled the side with confidence. 

Speaking to the Daily Record, St Joseph's head coach Raul Procopio insisted that the game will not be a nice easy kickabout in the sunshine for the visiting side.

Procopio stated: "If Lincoln Red Imps can beat Celtic there, why can’t we repeat that against Rangers?

"This is our final and the players are feeling inspired.

"We were the outsiders against Prishtina as well and each tie is 180 minutes of football. So we will play without fear and although they are a superior team, they’ll need all their effort to beat us."

A chance for new signings to impress

Gers boss Gerrard has announced his squad that will travel to the rock on Tuesday and all six new summer signings are included.

This will give fans a first look at players that they may not be familiar with such as George Edmunson, Joe Aribo and Sheyi Ojo.

Jordan Jones, Greg Stewart and Jake Hastie will also be hoping to feature at some point in the tie and all three will be hoping that they can make an instant impact for the Gers and carry on the excellent form they enjoyed last season.

Jones and Stewart both played a huge part in helping Kilmarnock achieve 3rd place last season and Hastie's performances in the last six months of the season for Motherwell earned him a Young Player Of The Year Award nomination.

Enigmatic talisman Alfredo Morelos is also included in the squad despite missing out in the game against Oxford due to an injury whilst there is surprisingly no place in the squad for winger Daniel Candeias