Rangers’ run to the Europa League final last season will never be forgotten. Victories against European giants such as Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig will go down in club folklore. And if it wasn’t for Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp in the final, the Ibrox club could — and possibly should — have left Seville with their first piece of European silverware for 50 years. But last season’s Champions League qualifiers left a lot to be desired. Steven Gerrard’s invincibles fell to 10-man Malmo at the first hurdle last term, and Giovanni van Bronckhorst will be hoping to leave memories of that painful night at Ibrox firmly in the rearview mirror. 

Thanks to Scottish clubs, well let’s face it, Rangers’ performances in European competition throughout the last few seasons, the Scottish Premiership now has two spots in the Champions League. Admittedly, Celtic are the ones that have benefitted from the Gers’ continental exploits. As they won the title last term, they have secured an automatic spot in the group stages of club football’s greatest competition. Van Bronckhorst’s men will have to do it the hard way, despite them being the reason for Scotland’s increase in UEFA’s coefficients table. 

They did avoid the big boys in the third qualifying round however, with AS Monaco being the unseeded team to avoid. Last season’s Europa Conference League quarterfinalists PSV Eindhoven are the unlucky ones who have been dealt that card, but what of Rangers’ opponents. 

Belgium’s top-flight runners-up could prove stern opposition

Their opponents in the Champions League’s third qualifying round will be Union Saint-Gilloise, a team that came so close to winning the Belgian Pro League last season, despite only being promoted to the league the year before. The Brussels-based club led their division pretty much from start to finish, thanks to the goalscoring exploits of German striker Deniz Undav, who bagged 25 goals throughout the course of the campaign but has since moved on to the Premier League’s Brighton & Hove Albion. When the initial league campaign ended prior to being split apart to cater for the championship round, Union were five points clear of their nearest rival, Club Brugge, who had won the last two titles on the spin. 

Their opponents in the Champions League’s third qualifying round will be Union Saint-Gilloise, a team that came so close to winning the Belgian Pro League last season, despite only being promoted to the league the year before. The Brussels-based club led their division pretty much from start to finish, thanks to the goalscoring exploits of German striker Deniz Undav, who bagged 25 goals throughout the course of the campaign but has since moved on to the Premier League’s Brighton & Hove Albion. When the initial league campaign ended prior to being split apart to cater for the championship round, Union were five points clear of their nearest rival, Club Brugge, who had won the last two titles on the spin. 

In the end, defeats home and away to European regulars Brugge, as well as dropped points against Royal Antwerp, who featured in the Europa League group stage last season, meant that the title would head to Belgium’s West Flanders region for the fourth time in five seasons, and the Union were unable to add their name to the list of football’s greatest shocks, instead left licking their wounds. 

But despite that late-season collapse, they could still provide a stern test for Gio van Brockhorsts side. They have quality across all areas of the park, and with an average age of just 22 years of age, you can expect their fitness levels and willingness to run to be at the highest level. 

Their captain and keyman is Maltese maestro Teddy Teuma. The central midfielder can truly do it all. He loves a tackle, he will run himself into the ground and he will create chance after chance for his striking teammates to feed upon. If Rangers are to secure a safe package to the play-off round, Glen Kamara and Ryan Jack will have to be at their very best and dominate the centre of the park. 

A busy summer on the blue half of Glasgow

Rangers have been busy this summer, and have made some impressive signings thus far. The standout signings are centre-half Ben Davies — who has arrived from Liverpool — Rabbi Matondo, from Schalke, and Besiktas’ Ridvan Yilmaz. The pacey Welsh winger has arrived from Schalke, after managing to bag 10 goals in 27 appearances last season in the German second tier. These additions should help Rangers regain the title.