With the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership campaign fast approaching, Football FanCast has decided to bring you five reasons why Rangers can dethrone Celtic as champions.
Michael Beale's side head into this season's curtain-raiser at Kilmarnock looking to claim their first title since the special 2020/21 campaign, which saw Steven Gerrard's Gers end Celtic's nine-year hold of the championship in emphatic style.
The fixture comes just days before the start of their Champions League play-off tie against Swiss outfit Servette, with the aim of reaching the group stage for a second successive season.
Celtic's treble last term means that there is plenty of incentive for Rangers to make Beale's first full year in charge a success, and with the Gers' league form improving following the Englishman's return to the Ibrox dugout – along with pushing their city rivals close in the cups – there are plenty of reasons to feel positive ahead of this weekend's big kick-off.
6 Experience blended with youth
The Light Blues fielded some of the oldest starting XIs in the SPFL last term, topping the standings with an average age of 29.9 under Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
Having an ageing squad isn't necessarily a bad thing, considering the word 'experience' is so often used when describing the makeup of title-winning sides, but the club's recruitment this summer suggests otherwise.
5 Read the latest Rangers transfer news HERE…
Just two of their nine arrivals to date are under the age of 30, while most of them are no older than 25, meaning the Gers will be a far more youthful team this season.
The likes of Nicolas Raskin will be among the younger stars looking to truly announce themselves, with the Belgian, still just 22, entering his first full season since his January switch.
Elsewhere, Steven Davis is still on the books, and though his playing days are numbered, having such an experienced head around the squad can only be of benefit as Beale seeks to lead his new-look side to glory.
Having that blend of seasoned professionals and talented young players with a point to prove is set to be a promising dynamic – and one that could move Beale's side a step closer to glory.
4 Hunger to succeed
Rangers have had to watch bitter rivals Celtic lift the league title for two seasons running, and they'll be hungry to prevent a third consecutive league triumph.
Beale knows the pressure will be ramped up to deliver this season, after joining from Queens Park Rangers last year midway through the campaign.
The 42-year-old will want to repay the trust shown in him by the board, and there's no better way to do that than leading his side to silverware.
Celtic, on the other hand, will have to find a different source of motivation. Newly appointed head coach Brendan Rodgers will have the challenge of encouraging a side that has just won the domestic treble to do it all again – though this is something he has done before, of course.
3 Exciting summer recruitment
The Gers have been active in the transfer window this summer, with no fewer than nine new arrivals at the club across all areas of the team.
Goalkeeper Jack Butland arrives with Allan McGregor making way; while Chelsea youngster Dujon Sterling and the return of Leon Balogun add some zest and steel to the defence, with each player at contrasting ends of their respective careers.
Attacking midfielder Kieran Dowell and winger Abdallah Sima join from Norwich City and Brighton & Hove Albion repsectively, while Atalanta's Sam Lammers will help to replenish an attack that has seen Antonio Colak depart.
A recent flurry has further bolstered the ranks at Ibrox, with strikers Cyriel Dessers and Danilo being followed by former LAFC midfielder Jose Cifuentes.
On paper, it seems exciting – but there is every reason to be enthused by the Gers' summer activity.
Butland is a nine-cap England international and has 87 English Premier League appearances to his name, marking a shrewd bit of business as he arrives from Crystal Palace on a free transfer.
Lammers, who joined in a £3.5m move following loan spells at Empoli and Sampdoria last term, will help to fill the void left by the departed Alfredo Morelos.
The 26-year-old forward netted 16 times in the Eredivisie during the 2018/19 campaign, but has struggled to replicate that goalscoring form since. Rangers clearly believe he can rediscover the performances that initially earned him a €9m (£7.7m) switch to Atalanta.
Sima, 22, joins on a season-long loan deal from Brighton. The winger plied his trade with Ligue 1 outfit Angers last season, scoring six goals and providing a further two assists.
Sterling is a versatile defender who can operate at both left-back and right-back. He spent last year on loan at English Championship side Stoke City from parent club Chelsea, making 26 league appearances in England's second tier.
Creative midfielder Dowell also shone at that level last term, scoring five goals whilst laying on three assists for Norwich City, despite making just 14 starts. The 25-year-old will be keen to enjoy regular football and prove himself under the stewardship of Beale.
Nigeria forward Dessers joined in early July, and arrives at Ibrox off the back of a bittersweet year in front of goal for relegated Cremonese in the Italian Serie A.
The Belgium-born ace netted six times in the league amid a number of injury problems, which he will hope to put behind him in Glasgow.
He will be joined in the attack by fellow ex-Feyenoord Danilo, who notched 10 goals from just 14 top-flight starts last term.
Perhaps crucially, he has experience on the European stage, which could come in handy as Rangers look to better their efforts in the Champions League this season.
The signing of Rangers' most recent arrival, Cifuentes, has been in the works for a while, with negotiations spanning the course of the summer.
Beale finally has his man, and amid the departures of Scott Arfield and Malik Tillman, another body in the middle could provide what the manager craves in that area.
The signings will provide the Rangers head coach with plenty more options and squad depth, which will be imperative as they compete across four fronts next term.
2 Celtic in transition
Following Ange Postecoglou's departure to Tottenham Hotspur, Brendan Rodgers was brought back to the club despite leaving in rather hostile circumstances four years ago.
The process of implementing new tactics and ideas on a squad can often take months – and that could be to Rangers' benefit.
There has also been plenty of change elsewhere within the Parkhead club, with the likes of Jota leaving for the Saudi Pro League.
Jota registered 27 goal contributions last term, so successfully replacing him – and Postecoglou – will be a difficult task.
It could be argued that Rodgers has bridges to build with sections of the Hoops faithful, such was the manner of his departure in February 2019 to Leicester City, who sacked the 50-year-old after leading the Foxes into a relegation battle they were unable to save themselves from.
Therefore, the current champions will likely have most of the pressure on their shoulders heading into this campaign, as they are the team – within Glasgow, at least – with less certainty surrounding them. Time will tell, but this could yet play into Rangers' hands.
1 Beale's first full season
After six months in charge, Beale is now preparing to embark on his first full season at Ibrox. The summer transfer window has presented the opportunity to sign players of his own, thus strengthening the squad in the precise areas he feels necessary in line with his tactics.
Unlike Rodgers, the former QPR boss has had half a season to embed his philosophy and culture, and that stands the Light Blues in good stead to go one better next year and dethrone Celtic as champions.
Beale, in an interview with Sky Sports back in June, outlined his plan ahead of the upcoming season.
The 42-year-old said: "We start how we're ending with our style being very clear, our energy being very strong on the pitch in terms of our pressing and the bits out of possession.
"Make sure that we're really hard to beat then allow our quality to come through. We'll look to recruit a spine that's enabled to stay at Rangers for the next three to five years to build on.
"You'll be able to tell by my face at the start of pre-season whether I've been successful in getting everyone that I want, but either way, we'll come back into pre-season next year with a few new ideas that I've wanted to implement. We need to go and recruit a certain type of players for that. We'll come back stronger."
Judging by these comments and the raft of players to come through the doors at Ibrox since, there can be plenty of optimism ahead of the campaign that Beale has the masterplan to deliver another league title – this time as the head coach.
The youth that now exists in abundance at the squad certainly points towards a long-term strategy, and having started relatively promisingly with the squad he inherited from Van Bronckhorst, there is surely only one direction Rangers will be heading in now Beale has had the opportunity to provide his stamp on the team.
All eyes will now be on him ahead of the season's kick-off.