Oxford United boss Karl Robinson believes his side have secured a match against one of the 'biggest football clubs in the world' this pre-season, as reported by the Banbury Cake.

Robinson has lined up a trip to Ibrox to face SPFL side Glasgow Rangers, something he hopes the supporters can get behind, even if it is about getting players fit for the new season.

A link with Steven Gerrard from his Liverpool days has helped facilitate the friendly, which Robinson hopes will be a big occasion for the fans as well as his players.

"Why can’t 2,000 go up there and make a weekend of it? Pre-seasons to me have always been about players getting themselves fit," he explained to the Banbury Cake.

“But I realised very quickly when I first came in last year there’s an intensity to the first game this club plays and generally it’s abroad or away from the norm. When this opportunity arose it was one I felt we couldn’t turn down.

“They’re up there arguably with some of the biggest football clubs in the world. That’s how big they are.”

40,000 fans turned up at Ibrox to watch them play League Two side Bury last pre-season suggesting a big crowd, and with them in Europa League action, they'll be fitter and stronger than their visitors, something Robinson knows all too well.

“For us it’s the first game, so we’ll play two XIs.  Rangers should be strong because they will be three weeks ahead of us in pre-season.

“Our lads will just be hoping it’s not too sunny, because it will be a hard day for them running around that big pitch.”

Ibrox will play host to event in just over a month, on July 7th.

The Verdict

This is a huge friendly for Oxford, but some Rangers fans could be forgiven for feeling a little underwhelmed. Whilst it is surely nice to hear them described as a huge club, meeting a League One side in a home friendly must be a bit disappointing for their supporters.

If they are, as Robinson suggests, one of the world's elite, then they would surely like to see someone with a bit more prestige travelling to Scotland for a high-profile friendly.