Rangers boss Philippe Clement will insist his side are physically and mentally ready for 11 matches across three competitions before the end of January.
Clement does not believe the fixture list is conducive to good football but is ready to rotate his squad from game to game in their quest for silverware this season.
Rangers have lost 23 of their last 25 meetings in the Scottish Premiership, starting that run with a trip to St Mirren on Boxing Day.
They finish the year with a blockbuster showdown at Ibrox against rivals Celtic before kicking off 2025 against Motherwell.
Rangers also face Manchester United and Union Saint-Guillois in the Europa League, a win in both of those games would see them qualify for the knockout stages of the competition.
“It’s not the first time in the history of football that this has happened, so we need to have a squad that is physically and mentally prepared,” Clement said.
“The more you complain about it, the more excuses you get and I don’t want to give excuses to the team because they all want to play football.
“Is it good for football? I don’t think so and everyone agrees with that but we have to focus on ourselves and be prepared.
“It can be an advantage for our team players that there needs to be a rotation. That means everyone has to be on their toes.”
Philippe Clement speaks to the media ahead of our Boxing Day match against St Mirren. pic.twitter.com/f5bDfwx9dW
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) December 23, 2024
Rangers are nine points behind Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership and their chances of lifting the 2024-25 title hang by a thread.
They were beaten by Brendan Rodgers’ side in a dramatic Scottish League Cup final earlier this month, losing 5-4 on penalties.
And while Clement did not rule out his side’s hopes of lifting the title, he said the immediate focus should be on their Boxing Day clash at the SMISA Stadium.
“We know St Mirren is a big challenge. This is a team with a lot of physicality and a manager who always prepares his team really well,” concluded Clement.
“People always say this [the importance of physicality] About Scotland, but the Belgian league was the same, the French league was the same. It’s not like you don’t have physicality there.”
