Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge claims it wouldn’t be a ‘disaster’ if Rangers were dumped out of the Europa League by Borussia Dortmund on Thursday night.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s charges shocked the German giants last week, storming to a famous 4-2 victory at the Signal Iduna Park to firmly take control of their last-32 play-off tie.

What is the latest news involving Rangers?

Despite their success across the continent, Rangers were unable to carry that form into their Scottish Premiership clash against Dundee United over the weekend.

The Glasgow giants had 74% possession and a whopping 30 shots at Tannadice, but Ross Graham’s opening goal proved enough to snatch a point for the hosts.

It was a bitterly disappointing result for Rangers, who slipped three points behind fierce rivals Celtic at the top of the table following their 3-2 win over Dundee later in the day.

Sunday’s results saw the Hoops complete a seven-point swing since Steven Gerrard departed Ibrox back in November as they had trailed the reigning champions by four points prior to his sudden exit.

And Bridge believes Rangers’ European involvement could have a detrimental impact upon their hopes on retaining their SPFL title.

What has Bridge said about Rangers?

Celtic’s hopes of progressing to the next round of the Europa Conference League already appear to be over after they lost the first leg 3-1 at home to Bodo/Glimt, and the reporter reckons that could be an advantage domestically.

Bridge told GiveMeSport: “If the unthinkable happened and Dortmund came back and won, it wouldn't look good, and some would see it as a disaster, but I wouldn't.

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“I think Celtic are probably getting knocked out on Thursday in their Conference League game. They've got a free week now.

“You saw it on Thursday night they beat Dortmund, Sunday they go to Dundee United, and okay, they've dominated, but they went a goal down and got a draw. You can't drop points in Scotland.”

Can Rangers retain their title?

Although Rangers have picked up maximum points at home since Van Bronckhorst’s arrival, they have struggled to break teams down on the road.

The Gers are now winless in their last four league games away from Ibrox, and their Dutch tactician needs to come up with a solution to their troubles before Celtic open up an unattainable lead.

There’s set to be two more Old Firm derbies before the campaign draws to a conclusion, though, and Rangers will be hoping their European participation doesn’t have a negative impact upon their title hopes.