Rangers coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst is not worried about the lack of a so-called "Ibrox factor" in Wednesday's Europa League final, adamant Gers fans will more than contribute to the atmosphere in Seville.
Eintracht Frankfurt stand between Rangers and a first European trophy since 1972, when the Scottish giants won the European Cup Winners' Cup.
Van Bronckhorst's side have already exceeded expectations by reaching the showpiece, which will take place at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, home of six-time UEFA Cup/Europa League winners Sevilla.
Rangers' home form has been vital en route to the final, particularly in the context of their results on the road.
Gers have won only one Europa League game away from home this season, the 4-2 thriller at Borussia Dortmund in February, while their three European trips since then have all ended in defeat.
Yet Rangers have been spurred on by a raucous home crowd at Ibrox, particularly in the knockout phase – they have won each of their past three Europa League matches as hosts, scoring three in all of them.
Spanish police are expecting roughly 150,000 Rangers and Eintracht fans to be in Seville for Wednesday's game. As such, Van Bronckhorst is not worried about a lack of backing.
Asked how crucial the support will be, Van Bronckhorst told reporters: "It will be a factor because our fans are supporting us really well.
"Of course, Ibrox is a huge factor and in the ties we played this season in Europe we knew to get a good result away from home to take back to Ibrox [because] we are capable of winning against any team [at home].
"Of course, a final is different because it's only one game you play, not at Ibrox but in Seville, I think we'll both [Rangers and Eintracht] feel that.
"It's different, but still I think you will hear them a lot tomorrow, our fans, and I think our performances can be good as well, so I think we are ready and we'll play the way we always do and give everything we have to win this game."
The presence of Kemar Roofe certainly will not hurt Rangers' chances of success on Wednesday, with the striker back in contention following an injury.
Roofe hurt his knee last month as Rangers beat Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-finals, and even as recently as last week Van Bronckhorst acknowledged the forward's participation in Seville was doubtful.
But the Dutchman confirmed Roofe is available to face Eintracht, with his involvement now just a selection matter.
"Kemar is available. He trained for the first time with us yesterday [Monday]," Van Bronckhorst added. "He did individual training before that, and he will be training with us [on Tuesday].
"He will be in the squad and I want to use him, he is available."
Roofe has scored 16 times for Rangers across all competitions this season despite not being a guaranteed starter – 16 of his 35 appearances have come from the bench.
The return of Roofe is made all the more important by Alfredo Morelos' absence through a long-term injury.
"Of course, it's a boost for us," Van Bronckhorst said. "He got injured a couple weeks ago when he was in a good spell.
"He's very important for team. I'm happy he's back because he was working hard to be ready for the Leipzig game.
"He didn't make it so we just extended [the season] for him with the final. He is here and he is ready to play his part."
Messi hopes the 'craziness never ends' after 100th international goal and wild celebrations
Lionel Messi hopes the "craziness never ends" after scoring his 100th goal and ninth hat-trick for his country amid Argentina's homecoming World Cup celebrations on Tuesday.
La Albiceleste routed Curacao 7-0 in Santiago del Estero, with Messi's 20th-minute opener bringing up his 100th international goal, joining only Cristiano Ronaldo (122) and Ali Daei (109) in achieving that feat.
Messi became the first world champion to score 100 international goals, and he showed no signs of stopping there with further first-half strikes for a treble, taking him to 102.
The milestone came as Argentina rounded out their first two games back in their homeland since December's World Cup triumph with wild celebrations, initially in Buenos Aires for Thursday's 2-0 win over Panama.
The players emulated their celebrations from Qatar after the Curacao game, hoisting the World Cup trophy again after it came down from the stadium roof and doing a lap of honour to greet the supporters.
Messi was also presented with a plaque by Argentine Football Association president Claudio Tapia to acknowledge his 100th goal.
"What a nice way to close these dates, impressive today all the people in Santiago del Estero," Messi wrote on Instagram.
"I wish we can continue to share together many moments like these and that this craziness never ends!!!"
Messi's achievement comes after netting 21 goals in his 14 games for Argentina, along with seven assists. That has taken him to 156 goal contributions, which is the most in international football.
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni added: "As for Lionel Messi, what I want is for him to be on the pitch and be happy."
He added: "These days were different to the previous friendlies because the players were allowed to be with their people.
"We felt that they had that desire to go out to contact the outside, although that meant that it was difficult to prepare these two games. But in the end we got them through by playing with intensity."
Bettinelli signs new Chelsea deal until 2026
Marcus Bettinelli committed his future to Chelsea after signing a new deal with the Premier League side.
The goalkeeper put pen to paper on an extension to his existing contract, keeping him with the Blues until 2026.
Bettinelli has mainly served as a back-up option to Kepa Arrizabalaga and Edouard Mendy since joining Chelsea from West London rivals Fulham in 2021.
The 30-year-old's sole competitive appearance for the Blues came during their commanding 5-1 victory over Chesterfield in last season's FA Cup.
Nevertheless, he is thrilled to extend his stay with Graham Potter's side.
"It is a privilege to be at a club like Chelsea, one of the biggest clubs in the world," he told the club's official website. "A couple of years ago when I signed, I was delighted to be here, delighted to sign.
"To be here now and see the club going through this transition and seeing what we are developing, it is amazing to be a part of, and I am buzzing to be here for an extra couple of years."
Chelsea return to Premier League action after the international break when they host Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
The Blues are 10th in the table with 11 games remaining, and 11 points shy of fourth-placed Tottenham.
Chelsea blame Abramovich sanctions for £121m losses
Chelsea put losses of £121million in their latest financial records down to sanctions on former owner Roman Abramovich by the UK government.
The Blues posted their annual accounts, covering the 2021-22 season, showing significant losses in a period that included having to work under a special licence.
Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, believing he had close ties with president Vladimir Putin and freezing the assets of several individuals as a result.
That saw Chelsea forced to operate under a special licence, which restricted the club from selling tickets, accept event bookings and signing contracts with players until Todd Boehly's takeover was completed on May 30, 2022.
In a statement on Monday, Chelsea added that these sanctions would be felt again "in the following years".
"The results for the year have been impacted by the sanctions placed on the club's previous owner on 10 March 2022," the statement read.
"As a result of the sanctions, the club was required to operate within the limitations of a special licence issued by the UK government. These restrictions were in place until the completion of the Club's sale on 30 May 2022.
"During this period, the Club was restricted in a number of areas including, but not limited to, its ability to sell matchday and season tickets, sell merchandise, accept event bookings, as well as sign contracts with players and commercial sponsorship partners, which collectively resulted in extraordinary expenses and loss of revenue.
"Furthermore, some of these limitations are also expected to have an impact on the financials in the following years due to the long-term impact from restrictions on entering into new contractual arrangements.
"Towards the end of the sanctioned period, the club was permitted to sell certain matchday tickets, with the Premier League committing to donate all revenue from these sales to charity. The restrictions were lifted following the change in ownership, and all operations have now resumed."
The Blues announced an overall net loss of £121.3m, though they confirmed they continue to meet the Premier League and UEFA's financial regulations.
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