The big games keep on coming for Rangers. As the fixtures are ticked off and the weeks elapse, the sense of excitement will build in tandem with the pressure and the possibilities.

A Premiership defeat to Motherwell was followed by a Europa League draw against Benfica. Now it is a Scottish Cup victory over Hibernian that Philippe Clement has in his sights. The third match of the week sees Rangers return to a third competition. Time will tell how long Clement’s side are performing that juggling act for this term. In more ways than one, Jack Butland is determined not to take his eye off the ball.

The visit of Motherwell was almost taken for granted last weekend and the trip to Lisbon was dismissed, by some, as an inconvenience. Clement didn’t buy into that theory, though, and his messages on the eve of the last 16 first leg resonated with many within the support. He is here to win, and you cannot pick and choose when you do so.

A victory at Easter Road would be another signal of intent from Rangers, further proof of where they are and perhaps where they are heading. The lure of a place in the quarter-finals of the Europa League cannot take their eye off the bid to progress to the last four of the Scottish Cup, while a Premiership outing at Dundee next Sunday cannot be dismissed as a case of turning up and winning.

“For sure,” Butland said when asked if the performance against Benfica would give Rangers belief for the challenges that lie ahead. “A lot of games, a lot of competitions that we are still in, which is really important. Another huge one on Sunday. We have just spoken there about enjoying the performance and being proud of what we have done but we have got another cup that we want to progress in at the weekend and all focus turns to that now.

“It is an important one for us. The second leg will come after that and we will turn our attentions after Sunday. Full focus on Hibs, they are a good side and we are going to their place. We need to go there and get a win and progress to the next round.”

Clement insisted on Wednesday evening that he would not prioritise one competition over another. He knows that standards cannot be raised and lowered on a whim, that marginal gains cannot be found whenever you feel like it. The following night, his players put his words into action and were unfortunate that goals from Tom Lawrence and Dujon Sterling were not enough to give Rangers a first leg lead.

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Butland backed up the stance of his boss afterwards. He labelled the European nights as ‘special’ before going on to reaffirm that Rangers want to win every game in every competition. The League Cup is already in the Trophy Room and it would be quite the feat if the Premiership and Scottish Cup were to follow. Some fans are already daring to dream of a European title.

“A really good test against a top, top side with some incredible talents and we held our own,” Butland said after being beaten by an Angel Di Maria penalty and Connor Goldson own goal. “We could have got a little bit more from the game maybe but we came and got a really good result.

“We have come here with belief and we have played that way. You are going to have to accept periods without the ball with the amount of quality that they do have. But we don’t underestimate what we can do as a team and how we can defend as a team, which we have done incredibly well.

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“Limited them to shots really in the first half, second half I don’t really recall that many shots on target. I think that is a testament to the way the boys defended. We could maybe have scored a couple more as well so it was a really good performance.”

The header from Goldson ultimately denied Rangers a famous European victory. It was a moment of confusion and one of regret. The same can be said about the flashpoint that ended with Di Maria sending Butland the wrong way from the penalty spot.

John Souttar was penalised for handball after attempting to clear a corner from the Argentinian. Clement lamented the decision afterwards but his bemusement was more with the rules than the application of them. It may have been in line with the laws, but the innocuous and inadvertent incident wasn’t in the spirit of the game.

“I have seen it again,” Butland said. “When you are in desperation to try and head the ball clear, and Soutts has done an unbelievable job doing that, how can you be in control of your arms? I don’t get it. For me, I think it is harsh. He is using his arms to get leverage to head the ball and he has headed the ball and his hand is eight inches away from his head. I don’t know. I think it could be tough. Is it going out for a corner if it doesn’t hit his hand? It might be harsh.

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“There are a lot of [nuances] and a lot of it going on. What is it? Is it deliberate? How often can you have your hands in a natural position and what is a natural position when you are trying to head a ball clear off the left foot of Di Maria who is whipping it in with quality like he does? I don’t know. I think there is too much… I am not sure.”

The next 90 minutes will shape Rangers’ Scottish Cup ambitions and determine whether or not a domestic clean sweep is still on the cards. Once it has been played, it will be all about Benfica once again.

Ibrox will expect and Ibrox will demand. It is a night that could see Rangers deliver once again.

“Always,” Butland said when asked if Rangers fancied themselves back at Ibrox. “It is home for us and there is not a team that we can face that we won’t be confident of beating at Ibrox. That comes after this Sunday but we will be looking forward to that as well.”