KARL Robinson is hoping Oxford United’s friendly at Glasgow Rangers next month will fit the bill for another memorable Yellow Army summer expedition.

After a long wait for the game to be announced, supporters can now start planning for a weekend north of the border.

Ibrox will host the U’s on Sunday, July 7 (3).

Long-distance pre-season trips have become a tradition at United since the tour to Austria in 2015, with hundreds going on to watch the side in Spain, Portugal and Ireland.

Robinson got his first taste last summer in Dublin.

And while United have been handed an initial allocation of 988 tickets, the head coach believes demand will be high to watch his side take on Steven Gerrard’s men.

He said: “Why can’t 2,000 go up there and make a weekend of it?

“Pre-seasons to me have always been about players getting themselves fit.

“But I realised very quickly when I first came in last year there’s an intensity to the first game this club plays and generally it’s abroad or away from the norm.

“When this opportunity arose it was one I felt we couldn’t turn down.

“They’re up there arguably with some of the biggest football clubs in the world. That’s how big they are.”

A link with Gerrard and Robinson, who began his coaching career in Liverpool’s academy, helped bring about the game.

And the United boss is full of praise for the legendary midfielder’s desire to test himself in management.

He said: “A lot of people try to stay in under 23 football and become an assistant and wait for the right job to come along.

“Going to Rangers was a massive challenge at that particular time.

“They’re a much better team now than they were in recent years.

“It’s hard for him because he’s one of the greatest players I’ve seen live and when you have that attached to you it’s hard.

“I remember speaking to a player of a similar ilk and they said they didn’t want to go into management because they didn’t want to tarnish their reputation.”

It could turn out to be the largest crowd United have played in front of during a pre-season game.

More than 40,000 were at Ibrox last July when they hosted Bury in Gerrard’s first game and it comes just four days before Rangers play their opening Europa League qualifier.

United will fly directly to Scotland from a training camp in Portugal, but they will be well behind their hosts in terms of preparation.

Robinson said: “For us it’s the first game, so we’ll play two XIs.

“Rangers should be strong because they will be three weeks ahead of us in pre-season.

“Our lads will just be hoping it’s not too sunny, because it will be a hard day for them running round that big pitch.”