Cathro's Saint-Etienne to face Rangers in Ibrox friendly

Benfica's Jose Mourinho was one of Ian Cathro's opponents in Portugal [Getty Images] Rangers have announced a pre-season friendly with Ian Cathro's Saint-Etienne on Wednesday, 22 July at Ibrox. The 39-year-old Scot was appointed this summer as head coach of the side who finished third in the French second tier last season. He had earned praise after leading Estoril to 10th place in the 18-strong Primeira Liga in Portugal. Cathro started his coaching career with Dundee United and had a short spell in charge of Hearts but was sacked in August 2017 after a disappointing eight months in charge. However, he has since worked as assistant at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Al-Ittihad before moving to Estoril in 2024. During his time with Hearts, he faced an Aberdeen side led by new Rangers manager Derek McInnes three times, losing them all. Rangers have twice faced Saint-Etienne in European competition, with the Glasgow team winning 4-3 on aggregate in the European Cup first round in 1957, while the side from the Loir region won home and away in the second round in 1975. The match against Cathro's side will be Rangers' first public pre-season game and will be followed four days later with a match against West Ham United, newly relegated to England's Championship, also at Ibrox. Rangers this week beat Championship side Raith Rovers 5-1 in a closed-doors friendly.