THE first four fixtures of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s tenure at Rangers have all fallen into the ‘must win’ category. His fifth presents a very different challenge.

When Sparta Prague made the trip to Ibrox just days after his appointment as Steven Gerrard’s successor, the Dutchman knew all too well the cost of failure. In the end, it was the rewards of victory that he could savour as an inspiring win earned his side a place in the knockout rounds of the Europa League.

Three Premiership fixtures have followed that continental triumph, and all have been taken care of as momentum has been built. Overcoming Dundee on Saturday was straightforward, but away wins at Livingston and Hibernian offer more insight into the mentality of the squad that Van Bronckhorst has inherited on his return to Ibrox.

The arrival of the 46-year-old was seen as a clean slate for every member of the group. It presented an opportunity for places to be earned, a chance for potential heroes to come to the fore.

Van Bronckhorst has chosen to tinker rather than overhaul so far, however, and a core of players have emerged during his first weeks in office. The theory should stand that consistency of selection will bring consistency of performance and result.

That is why the Group A clash with Lyon this evening presents Van Bronckhorst with something of a dilemma. This is one that he would like to win, but not one that he must win.

Rangers cannot be overtaken in second place in the section and Lyon cannot be caught after confirming their status as group winners on matchday five. This is a glamour tie, but it is also a relatively meaningless one.

It would be no surprise, then, to see Van Bronckhorst utilise more of his squad in France on Thursday evening. His focus will be on Lyon, but one eye will surely be on Hearts on Sunday.

“I’m happy that we are in a position where we can rotate against Lyon because we did very well against Sparta Prague to be already in the next stage [of the Europa League],” Van Bronckhorst after the 3-0 victory over Dundee at Ibrox.

“So that’s another game I can use to bring in some players and give them minutes. We have almost the whole team there to go in this busy period. So I will use my whole squad.

“Steven Davis and Ryan Kent were out of the squad [against Dundee] but others came in and did their job and that’s what you want.

“I could give Ryan Jack minutes because I think he is also a very important player for the team.

“We know it’s going to be a hard game next week [against Hearts] as well. Normally I work from game to game but we have the luxury a little bit to already think about Sunday.

“Because we have to be fresh, we have to be strong as well, because of the task we are going to have against Hearts.

“But I’m confident that the team who play on Thursday will also be a team who can have a good result because the balance in the team and the squad depth is good.”

If Van Bronckhorst is indeed tempted to mix it up against Lyon, there will surely be changes to come in the forward line to avoid taking unnecessary gambles with Alfredo Morelos and Fashion Sakala.

Both players are just one booking away from a ban which would see them ruled out of the first leg of their knockout round play-off tie on February 17. There seems little need to run the risk, with Morelos in particular, from the start, or at all.

The likely beneficiaries of that will be Kemar Roofe and Scott Wright. While Roofe marked his return to the side with the decisive penalty at Easter Road, Wright was bright during a second half cameo at the weekend and will be eager for more minutes to show what he can bring in the newly-styled forward line that Van Bronckhorst is developing.

The plethora of midfield options available also gives Van Bronckhorst decisions to make in the middle of the park. It would be a big call to pitch in Juninho Bacuna or John Lundstram given how little they have featured so far, but both need to start proving their worth to their new boss and it would be a welcome sight to see Jack return to the European stage following his wretched time with injuries.

The resting of Davis at the weekend surely points to a start in France as Rangers attempt to repeat their remarkable victory from 2008 as Walter Smith’s side were christened as the ‘Kings of Lyon’ following a 3-0 Champions League victory. His experience could be invaluable.

At the other end of the scale, the youthful exuberance of Nathan Patterson merits a chance to shine on such a stage. The right-back has been utilised in different ways by Van Bronckhorst thus far but this fixture represents a chance to rest captain James Tavernier and give Patterson an opportunity to test himself against the best outfit in Group A.

Such occasions where there is little pressure in terms of the result do not come along often for Rangers and Van Bronckhorst could well seek to make the most of it.

The run of domestic outings between the win at Livingston and Old Firm clash at Parkhead on January 2 will shape Rangers’ aspirations for the second half of the campaign and each one must be treated with greater significance than the Lyon dead rubber.

There will never be a wholly meaningless fixture for Van Bronckhorst. Some mean more than others, though, and Rangers’ team selection come Thursday night will prove just that.