Rangers’ Europa League opponents Slavia Prague gave Steven Gerard a taste of the battling qualities his side can expect to face after mounting an impressive comeback to extend their lead at the top of the Czech top flight.
Jindrich Trpisovsky's side trailed 1-0 and 2-1 against third-place Slovacko but dug deep to claim all three points courtesy of a late Ondrej Lingr winner.
It means they extended their lead at the summit of the First League over rivals Sparta to 11 points, putting them on course for a third-straight title.
Michal Sadilek opened the scoring for the hosts before Nicolae Stanciu punished a hand ball in the box by converting from the spot.
But veteran defender Michal Kadlec restored parity for Slovacko before the break, despite top scorer Abdallah Sima thumping a header against the woodwork at the other end.
Slavia dumped Premier League high-fliers Leicester City out of the Europa League on Thursday after an impressive 2-0 win at the King Power Stadium.
And they were forced to work for their win at the Městský fotbalový stadion, though had the impressive Stanciu on hand to lead their comeback charge.
The Romanian international’s viciously whipped free kick drew Slavia level for a second time in the game with 18 minutes remaining.
Lingr rose highest from a delivery into the box on 81 minutes to nod home and turn the contest on its head, extending Slavia’s unbeaten league record to 21 games.
The Czechs host Rangers at the Sinobo Stadium on March 11 before the return leg at Ibrox a week later.
