​Rangers have confirmed a pre-season friendly against Ian Cathro’s Saint-Etienne, set to take place on Wednesday, 22 July at Ibrox. The 39-year-old Scot has been appointed this summer as head coach of the French club, which finished third in the Ligue 2 table last season. Cathro’s appointment has drawn attention after he earned plaudits for guiding Estoril to a 10th-place finish in Portugal’s 18-team Primeira Liga.
Cathro began his coaching career with Dundee United and later had a brief spell in charge of Hearts, though his tenure there ended in August 2017 following an underwhelming eight months in the role. Since then, he has built experience as an assistant coach, including stints at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Al-Ittihad, before moving to Estoril in 2024. During his time at Hearts, he faced an Aberdeen side led by Rangers’ current manager, Derek McInnes, in three meetings, all of which Aberdeen won.
Historically, Rangers have faced Saint-Etienne twice in European competition. The Glasgow club prevailed 4-3 on aggregate in the European Cup first round in 1957, while Saint-Etienne, from the Loir region, won both home and away encounters in the second round in 1975. The upcoming match against Cathro’s Saint-Etienne marks Rangers’ first public pre-season fixture of the summer, with another friendly to follow four days later against West Ham United, who have recently been relegated to England’s Championship. That match will also be held at Ibrox.
Earlier this week, Rangers defeated Championship opponents Raith Rovers 5-1 in a closed-doors warm-up game as part of their preparation. The Saint-Etienne clash represents another step in Rangers’ pre-season schedule as they continue to ramp up their preparations ahead of the new campaign. The club’s supporters will be looking forward to seeing how Cathro’s Saint-Etienne approach unfolds against a familiar, high-calibre opponent in a competitive pre-season setting, while Rangers aim to build momentum and assess squad options ahead of the forthcoming league season.