Glasgow Rangers find themselves in the promised land of the Champions League group stage for the first time since 2010/11, beginning their schedule on Wednesday evening with a trip to the Netherlands.

It marks the natural progression of this Rangers squad, who reached the Europa League final last season, losing on penalties to Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Ibrox club's preparations have taken a bit of a confidence dent after the 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Celtic in the Premiership on Saturday, but the away clash against Ajax will provide a new test and an opportunity to see where they stand amongst the European elite.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst will surely shake up the team from that woeful defeat to their arch-rivals, with one man in particular needing to be unleashed against the Dutch champions.

Alfredo Morelos has only netted injury sustained at the tail end of last term, and his appearances have all been from the bench in recent weeks.

This should not deter Van Bronckhorst from throwing him in from the start against Ajax, though, as the Colombian is a striker who thrives on the European stage and can inflict plenty of damage on the home side's defence.

Morelos currently sits third in the all-time Europa League/UEFA Cup goalscoring charts, proving just how vital he is on the continental stage; while he is Rangers' leading European scorer, overtaking Ally McCoist’s tally with his 22nd goal against Benfica in 2020 (he is now up to 33).

Last season, he netted important goals against Sparta Prague, Borussia Dortmund and Red Star Belgrade, which were all crucial in the Light Blues' progression to the final.

The £31.5k-p/w talent’s European impact has been limited this season, but he is ready for the glitz and glamour of the Champions League.

Journalist Jordan Campbell has lavished praise on Morelos in the past, dubbing him “unreal” following a header against Feyenoord in 2019 and more recently calling him a “machine”.

If the 47-year-old can get the Colombian back into the form which saw him run teams ragged on the continent in 2021/22 and unleashes him from the start, then the Ajax backline could be in for a massive fright on Wednesday night.