Craig Gordon backs Rangers for Europa League glory but hopes a Hampden hangover follows Seville success

Craig Gordon insists it would be amazing for Scottish football if Rangers can win the Europa League.

But the Hearts keeper is pretty sure the Seville showpiece against Eintracht Frankfurt for Giovanni van Brockhorst’s troops just three days before the Scottish Cup Final won’t have an impact on the outcome at Hampden.

Gordon laughed and joked about the Ibrox players deserving to go on the lash in Spain if they beat the Germans and win the trophy.

But he’s deadly serious about the impact of a Rangers success on the big night for the entire Scottish game and the lack of impact it will have on the clash between his team and the Light Blues at the National Stadium immediately afterwards.

Gordon said: “Who knows? We’ll only know after the event. You can play it out two different ways. Yes and no.

“Could it go to extra-time, penalties, travel, so many things come into it.

“They have done fantastically well to get there. It’s a major achievement and you’d want to see them go there and do well for Scottish football.

“Potentially, to win a European trophy, that would be amazing for everybody in Scottish football, for our coefficient, Champions League places, all the things that go with it.

“We want to do as well as we can as a nation at international level and also our club teams doing well, too.

“It boils down to the fact they are a good team. They came back from extra-time in Europe [against Braga] to beat Celtic in the semi-final three days later, so they are a fit team and very capable of putting up with the schedule.

“They have done it all season and consistently performed well, especially in Europe, I don’t think it has a great bearing.

“They are conditioned to deal with that and we’ll have to be at our best.”

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