The TWELVE clubs Rangers could face in Champions League qualifying second round plus nightmare opponents lying in wait
They face three arduous rounds of qualifying to reach the £40m league phase for the first time - and some old foes could await
DIRTY DOZEN The TWELVE clubs Rangers could face in Champions League qualifying second round plus nightmare opponents lying in wait
RANGERS' Champions League qualifying fate is sealed - or at least they now know what round they'll be entering.
Athletic Bilbao's Europa League demise against Man Utd last night confirms that the Ibrox men will enter at the second qualifying round stage, and face three arduous rounds of qualifying to reach the moneyspinning £40million league phase for the first time.
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Jack Butland and Rangers stars
Credit: Getty
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Takeover chiefs Andrew Cavenagh and Gretar Steinsson
Credit: Willie Vass
It also means that the incoming Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises regime at the club must get up and running early.
That 's because the first leg has been scheduled for July 22/23, with the return fixture taking place the following week on either July 29 or July 30 - where a third round entry would have afforded them another fortnight of prep before a big kick off on August 5/6.
They're one of SIX teams who will enter the competition at this second round non-champions path stage - with the identities of three of them known already.
And we also know the Rangers WILL be seeded in this round of the competition at least, with a decent chance of being seeded all the way through.
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But who exactly could they face? Well, SunSport has had a look around Europe ahead of a frantic final few weeks so you don't have to.
And here are the answers.
It's worth noting that there's some tight title races out there, and indeed some massive title showdowns taking place this weekend.
But here's the TWELVE teams who are still theoretically at least potential opponents at this stage.
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SK Brann
The Gers already know they have a one in three chance of facing the Bergen-based side. And they are no mugs, currently topping the Norwegian top flight for the new season, after last season's second placed finish.
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Fredrik Knudsen of Brann against St Mirren
Credit: Kenny Ramsay
Got past St Mirren in Conference League qualifying last year after a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Paisley, and squad is almost entirely Scandinavian.
Panathinaikos
The Greek runners up are the only other team who have already definitely booked their spot in this second qualifying round.
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There's a chance that they and Gers will both be seeded and consequently kept APART at this stage but it's by no means a guarantee.
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Panathinaikos in action against Chelsea in the Conference League
Credit: Reuters
And a trip to the white hot atmosphere of Athens might not be ideal for a new Rangers manager to cut their teeth in, with the Greeks skippered by Fotis Ioannidis, one of the men who destroyed Scotland in the Nations League playoffs recently.
Servette (or Young Boys or Lugano or Luzern or Lausanne)
With Basel's superior goal difference meaning they're champions in all but name, it's currently Servette who are on track to finish second and potentially find themselves in the Ibrox side's path.
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These two sides met in Champions League qualifying action as recently as the season before last - with Rangers edging through 3-2 on aggregate courtesy of a James Tavernier goal in the second leg in Geneva.
If it is Servette who make it they'll likely be unseeded and therefore in Rangers' path, but Young Boys and Luzern are particularly close on their heels and could yet overtake them.
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Cyriel Dessers and Steve Rouiller as Gers did battle with Servette
Credit: Willie Vass
Former Gers star Cedric Itten's Young Boys - who went down narrowly at Celtic Park in the Champions League this season - will still fancy their chances of finishing second and making it into the second round of qualifying.
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Their 34.5 coefficient would ensure them of seeding at this round and keep them apart from Gers - UNLESS Red Bull Salzburg finish second in Austria.
On the other hand, with only five points separating five teams in the fiendish Swiss playoff system even Lugano, Luzern or Lausanne could jump into second in the league with four games to play.
All would be likely unseeded and potential second round opponents for Rangers should they finish second when it is all said and done.
(Sparta Prague or Banik Ostrava)
Slavia Prague are champs again in Czechia - that means they're set to benefit from the SPFL's old automatic spot and go straight into the new Champions League phase.
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Behind them there's a bit of a bunfight with three games remaining - but Viktoria Plzen are currently in the box seat.
But Plzen's heroics in Europe in recent seasons and bumper 39.25 coefficient means they will be seeded too and hence kept apart from Rangers at this stage.
The same COULD potentially apply if Gers' old rivals Sparta Prague (29) overtake Plzen to finish second but it wouldn't if Banik Ostrava crash the party.
They would be unseeded and potentially in the Gers' path.
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Austria Vienna (or Sturm Graz or Wolfsberger)
The biggest kicker of all comes in Austria, where there's now a stunning FOUR-WAY battle for the title.
Max Johnston's Sturm Graz currently lead the way from Austria Vienna, then Wolfsberger and Red Bull Salzburg - with the four teams separated by just four points and each with three games to play.
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Max Johnston could end up facing Celtic or Rangers in qualifying
Credit: Getty
It's dramatic stuff and RB Salzburg are the only team the Gers COULDN'T face in the second round as they would both be seeded.
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Johnston's Graz could thus still theoretically face Rangers (or even Celtic), while Austria Vienna or Wolfsberger are also potential second round foes for the Gers.
And then what happens...
Well, put simply things don't get any easier any time soon - even though the Gers WILL still be seeded in the third qualifying round.
That's protection they could badly need with the second placed team in Belgium (almost certainly an excellent Club Brugge side), and the second team in Portugal (Benfica and Sporting Libson are currently dead level on points) entering at this stage.
So too does the fourth placed team in France (currently Nice) and the third placed team in Netherlands (currently Feyenoord) entering at this stage.
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And the really bad news for the Ibrox men comes in the playoff round, if they're still standing - where there's no guarantee that they will still be seeded.
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