The upcoming friendly will be the ninth meeting of Rangers and Manchester City, with ties between the clubs going right back to 1900 when William Wilton's team were champions of Scotland for the second consecutive year and City had just been promoted to the English top flight. The first match was a 3-0 victory for a strong Rangers side which featured many of the players from the famous 100% league season of 1898/99.
Wilton's side returned to Hyde Road in 1903 to meet the Blues again. History unfortunately doesn't record the goalscorers but Rangers and City fought out a 1-1 draw.
Manchester City 0-3 Rangers
17 March, 1900
Rangers: Dickie, N. Smith, Drummond, Gibson, Taylor, Dunlop, Campbell, Wilkie, Hamilton, Hyslop, A. Smith.
Scorers: Campbell, Hyslop, Wilkie.
Manchester City 1-1 Rangers
1 September, 1903
Rangers: Dickie, N. Smith, Drummond, Henderson, Stark, Fraser, Hartley, Walker, Mackie, Speedie, Robertson.
Scorers: unknown.
It was just over 20 years before the sides met again, when City travelled north to meet Bill Struth's Rangers side who were all-conquering the previous season, having won all four trophies available. City had secured their second FA Cup - Wilf Wild's men had fallen to Everton the season before but in 1934 managed a 2-1 victory over Portsmouth at Wembley thanks to two late goals from Fred Tilson.
A solitary goal from Macauly in front of 30,000 at Ibrox saw the Gers win the first battle of the Cup holders before a return match took place at Maine Road a fortnight later. Despite Jimmy Fleming and Bob McPhail netting, City ran out 4-2 winners on the day and 4-3 on aggregate across the ties.
Rangers 1-0 Manchester City
18 September, 1934
Rangers: Dawson, Gray, McDonald, Meiklejohn, Simpson, Brown, Main, Macauley, Smith, Venters, Nicholson.
Scorers: Macauley.
Manchester City 4-2 Rangers
3 October, 1934
Rangers: Dawson, Gray, Cheyne, Craig, Simpson, Brown, Main, Venters, Fleming, McPhail, Gillick.
Scorers: Fleming, McPhail.
Having already secured an early 9-in-a-row and lifted the inaugural League Cup in April 1947, Rangers would have been riding high when they travelled to Manchester towards the end of the month. An impressive 46,570 people packed in to Maine Road to see an almost full-strength "Iron Curtain" defence leak two goals as City sealed the win. The Blues were on a high themselves this season after winning their fifth 2nd Division league title for promotion to the top division.
Manchester City 2-1 Rangers
26 April, 1947
Rangers: Brown, Young, Shaw, McColl, Woodburn, Rae, Waddell (Caskie), Gillick, Williamson, Thornton, Duncanson.
The summer of 1954 saw Bill Struth step down as Rangers manager after an incredible 34 years in charge of the club. In what would turn out to be a difficult time for Rangers, who under Struth were used to unparalleled success, former wing-half Scot Symon took charge of the team. On their second visit to Ibrox, Manchester City made it three wins on the trot against Rangers with a 4-1 win, Billy Simpson scoring the Gers only goal.
Rangers 1-4 Manchester City
27 October, 1954
Rangers: Brown, Young, McKenzie, McColl, Stanners, Rae, Waddell, Paton, Simpson, Grierson, Hubbard.
Just over a year later Rangers travelled south to face City again, the Blues being FA Cup runners up after losing to Newcastle in the 1955 final after having beaten Busby's Manchester United side 2-0 along the way. John Queen, coming on as a substitute for Willie Rae, scored his only Rangers goal in his three appearances which, along with a strike from Sammy Baird, helped Rangers to a 2-1 win.
This match turned out to be Willie Waddell's only appearance of the season and his last game for Rangers in what was an 18-year playing career. Waddell, however, returned to Ibrox and in all served the club for over half a century in his various roles.
Manchester City 1-2 Rangers
12 October, 1955
Rangers: Niven, Caldow, Little, McColl, Stanners, Rae (Queen), Scott, Baird, Kitchenbrand, Prentice, Waddell.
Scorers: Baird, Queen.
The most recent meeting of Rangers and Manchester City came at Ibrox in 1981. With a squad of ageing players and money being spent on Ibrox redevelopment, even second place in the league was beyond Rangers for a number of seasons.
An Ibrox friendly in front of 22,500 saw Johnstone and Johnston (Derek and Willie) claim the goals as John Greig's side won 2-0.
Rangers 2-0 Manchester City
3 August, 1981
Rangers: Stewart, Jardine, Miller, Forsyth, Jackson, Redford, McLean, Russell, Johnstone, McAdam, Johnston. Subs: Dawson, Cooper, McKay.
Scorers: Johnstone, Johnston.
Rangers, of course, were visitors at the City of Manchester Stadium more recently but not to play Manchester City. Dick Advocaat's Zenit St. Petersburg were the opponents for the 2008 UEFA Cup final when tens of thousands of Rangers fans, a tiny fraction of the total travelling support for the day, saw Walter Smith's men fall at the final hurdle.