Rangers' hopes of glory against Bayer Leverkusen in their all or nothing Europa League clash received a boost on Saturday after the Germans suffered Champions League qualification heartache.
Peter Bosz's side defeated Mainz 1-0 but that wasn't enough to seal a place in next season's money-spinning tournament after Monchengladbach's victory.
Leverkusen will have to settle for another season in the Europa League unless they can win the tournament that is set to resume in August.
The Bundesliga side will take on Rangers in the delayed return with a 3-1 lead from the first leg in Ibrox back in March.
But they may have to battle Steven Gerrard 's side without Kai Havertz. The rising playmaker is set to command bids of between £80 and £90million this summer.
Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are leading the way and concerned Bosz conceded on Friday that a final decision over the German international's future is out of his hands.
The 56-year-old cut a dejected figure after his side's domestic league campaign ended in disappointment.
He said: "We've picked up 63 points - that's a lot. Last season 58 points were enough for the UCL.
"All in all it was a good campaign but we also know that we didn't bring all of our matches to a good end in recent weeks."
