It is a shot at glory which would have been beyond even Danny Rohl’s own wildest expectations when he took charge of Rangers last October.
Yet if his team now fall short in the final throes of a chaotic and compelling Premiership title race, the German coach admits it will still feel like an opportunity lost.
Rudderless and a yawning 13 points adrift of leaders Hearts when Rohl replaced Russell Martin seven months ago, Rangers would surely have settled back then for reducing the deficit to four points with four rounds of fixtures to play.
For Rohl and his players, however, there is no escaping the reality it could, and perhaps should, have been an even more promising scenario at this stage.
Last Sunday’s 3-2 defeat at home to Motherwell means they now travel to Tynecastle knowing that a defeat will effectively end their challenge. Even a draw may not be enough to sustain it.
Rohl remains defiantly upbeat about his team’s prospects of topping the table when it matters most on May 16 and does not shy away from the sense of regret he will have if they don’t.
Danny Rohl insists his side can win each of their last four fixtures and win the title
‘Yes, everyone who loves this club and is with this club feels that’, he said. ‘There are different emotional levels. In October, we were far away from something.
‘Then we got close, just one point behind before last week, and you feel you can win it for this club for the first time in 16 years with fans in the ground.
‘Everyone wants to be part of this. There is an opportunity here this season, we have four finals to go.
‘This is the only thing at the moment that is important. We see our opportunity this season and for this, we try everything in the next four games.
‘The good thing for us is that while we were disappointed on Sunday, on Monday when I arrived in the building the spirit was outstanding from the players.
‘Of course they were still disappointed with the result against Motherwell, but when I spoke with the players they were straight and said: “No, we still have a big chance and we go again”. It was great to see.
‘If you ask all three teams involved at the moment, they will say they can win it. We still have a big opportunity.
Rohl’s only Premiership defeat on the road this season came against Hearts in December
‘What has changed is that before the Motherwell game, we could do it with our own results. Now we need a little bit of help. But there is still a big, big belief.’
Rohl’s only away league defeat as Rangers manager was the 2-1 loss to Hearts at Tynecastle in December, while one of his team’s best displays under him so far came when they beat Derek McInnes’ men 4-2 at Ibrox two months later.
‘That was a great performance, which I watched back again on Thursday night,’ said Rohl. ‘The away game was a difficult one. In general, if a team is at the top of the table for as long as Hearts have been, they must be doing something right.
‘The atmosphere will be on fire, I think, on Monday. They fight for something, they play for a historic season and they go all in. But we will also be ready for this, we go there ready to fight this.
‘For us, it is important that we understand the game, have good game management in some moments. In phases, it will not be the nicest game because there will be a lot of 50-50 duels.
‘Both teams have pressure and both will try everything. If we bring our best performance, then the chance is big to win this game.’
