Michael Beale stressed the importance of arriving at their Scottish Cup semi-final against Celtic in a good place.
That came after the fierce rivals were drawn together in another Hampden showdown earlier this week.
And for that, Rangers need wins. They have two league games before the Old Firm showdown in the league at Parkhead - starting with today's tricky trip to Lanarkshire.
They face a Motherwell side with renewed confidence under Stuart Kettlewell as he continues to steer them away from relegation danger.
But - and it's a fairly big but - the Steelmen haven't beaten Rangers in a top flight fixture since in just over 20 years so it's a big ask of the men in claret and amber.
If they can pull it off, though, Motherwell can start looking at a push for a top six spot.
So there is plenty at stake in this Lanarkshire lunchtime kick off and you can follow all the build up, match action and reaction right here in our LIVE blog.
How they lined up in 2002
So it was Boxing Day just over 20 years ago when a fresh-faced James McFadden scored the only goal of the game at Fir Park against Rangers. That was the last time the Steelmen won a top flight clash against the Light Blues.
Here's how the teams lined up that day:
Motherwell: Dubourdeau, Partridge, Hammell, Corrigan, Cowan, Kinniburgh, Adams, Leitch, Pearson, McFadden, Lehmann
Rangers: Klos, Ricksen, Amoruso, Muscat, Malcolm, Moore, De Boer, Ferguson, Caniggia, Mols, Lovenkrands
Nico no go?
Michael Beale revealed Nicolas Raskin was dealing with a quad issue and missed training on Thursday, making him a doubt for the short trip to Fir Park. There has been a of talk on social media that the Belgian was at Glasgow aiport after one fan shared a snap alongside the midfielder. He has ben called up for Under-21 international duty so, if ruled out for the Motherwell clash, then it could be he's heading off early. All will be revealed soon enough. READ MORE
Fan fury
It's been well documented that the Rangers ultras group the Union Bears are at loggerheads with the Ibrox board. They were unhappy at being refused certain banners - which the club described as 'offensive' with anti-police messages - into the ground for last week's Scottish Cup tie against Raith Rovers.
But that disconnect isn't restricted to Rangers as some hardcore Motherwell fans are also staying away from today's game over similar issues. READ MORE
Latest Gers pod
The Record Sport team sat down earlier in the week to discuss the latest events at Ibrox, including the semi-final draw as they were paired with rivals Celtic.
We Need To Talk About Kevin
Steelmen boss Stuart Kettlewell was happy to talk up Kevin van Veen's importanc since he took over in the Fir Park hot-seat. And could the Dutchman be the man to end that 20-year top flight hoodoo against the Light Blues? READ MORE
Kevin has been fantastic. His goals and quality speak for themselves. He is a different character and personality but I can say nothing but positive things about him. He’s been really receptive to what I’ve been trying to do. He wants to be coached which shows a humble nature.
A lot of guys might feel they know it all and don’t want a manager telling them anything. But that’s not the side I see from Kevin. The players and the group know he is the type of guy that can make the difference. He did against Ross County and has on numerous occasions this season.
I have watched him in games and even playing against good defenders and good players he backs himself to do well in those games. He is a massive asset to us and we back him to continue doing that over the next 10 games or so."
Good morning
Hello and welcome ahead of what should be a cracker in Lanarkshire.
