Gio van Bronckhorst wants Rangers support from SPFL as he looks for fixture help in Europa League bid

Gio van Bronckhorst has called on the SPFL to help Rangers in their bid to reach the Europa League final.

The Ibrox side travel to Motherwell next Sunday ahead of their first leg tie in Germany against RB Leipzig on the Thursday.

The Germans will have an extra 24 hours to prepare for that home leg as they take on Union Berlin on the Saturday.

And, assuming the current champions can beat the Steelmen, they will face a massive make or break Scottish Premiership showdown against Celtic before the return leg again the Bundesliga side.

Next midweek is a free week although Sky Sports are due to show both games and would likely need to give the green light to any switch.

Rangers were involved in a bitter row with the authorities when they reached the UEFA Cup final in 2008 after being forced to play four games in a jam-packed final eight days of the season.

Van Bronckhorst, speaking ahead of Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final against Celtic at Hampden, said: “We have seen in other countries dates and kick of times moved to support clubs in Europe.

“We want to do the best for Scotland, hopefully, the league is also able to support us.

“The league would have to agree to move any fixtures. We will do everything we can to do so but we don’t have the final call.”

After the euphoria of their win over Braga, Van Bronckhorst is now focused on the last four Scottish Cup clash.

He said: “We are through to the semi-final of Europe and it was a great night on Thursday. It gives us a lot of positive momentum going into Sunday.

“No fresh injury doubts for Sunday. We will prepare with our last training on Saturday and we are looking forward to the match.”

Gers have lost their last two derby clashes, including a 2-1 home defeat recently after a