Rangers and the lasting RB Leipzig impression as club hero guarantees the one thing that won't happen this time

RB Leipzig were halfway to Champions League heaven the last time they faced a Rangers side who were themselves halfway to a campaign that ended in hell.

But one thing was clear during that mid-season friendly on a sub-zero Sunday afternoon in Saxony five years ago - the gulf between the two was huge.

There are many similarities between the two clubs who were both in the fourth tier of their respective senior set-ups a decade ago.

However, at the halfway point of a 10-year long journey that will see them meet in the Europa League final on Thursday there was a real contrast.

The Bundesliga club were very much on the up in January 2017 while Rangers had plenty of turbulence on the horizon before getting their act together.

Mark Warburton was in the dug-out for that 4-0 drubbing but was out the door a month later and eventually replaced by the disastrous Pedro Caixinha.

Rangers still returned to Europe following a six-year absence the following season only for end in an embarrassing defeat to Progres Niederkorn.

RB Leipzig, though, made their debut in continental competition, finishing third in their Champions League group and going on to reach the quarter finals of the Europa League where they lost to Marseille.

But the Ibrox side have made huge strides since that day when a Timo Werner strike, goal from Scotland man Oliver Burke and double for Yussuf Poulsen - who scored in the weekend defeat to Union Berlin - made for a comfortable afternoon.

Midfielder Dominik Kaiser, now at Hannover in Bundesliga 2, was at Leipzig at the time and knows it won’t be so easy this time around.

The 33-year-old was part of Leipzig’s journey from public parks to football’s promised land and can’t wait for the last four clash.

He told Reco