Rangers Europa League QR3 opponents are starting to fall into place, with some of the potential ties already known.
Danny Rohl’s team will have to negotiate two qualifying rounds to reach the first round proper, now known as the league phase.
Up until last season, this was the group stage, but either way, Rangers are vying to compete in the main tournament for the seventh time in eight years.
If Rangers were to lose in the Europa League Third Qualifying Round, there is the safety net of the Conference League, with participation beginning at the Playoff round.
Lose that and there is no fallback. Game over.
After watching Crystal Palace land their moment of glory in Leipzig last night, it’s no wonder some fans wouldn’t be averse to having a go at the third tier tournament.
Who can Rangers play in Europa League qualifiers?
At this stage, the full picture isn’t clear, but we do know that Rangers will be seeded for the draw.
However, a look at the image below from Football Meets Data gives an indication of the potential opponents that could lie in wait.
As part of the ‘main path’, the Gers will not be able to be paired with fellow seeds FC Salzburg, Benfica*, Ferencvaros*, Viktoria Plzen*, Midtjylland*, and PAOK.
Rangers could be paired against the following sides in Europa League QR3:
Qarabag* – Long journey, tricky opponent with Champions League experience
Maccabi Tel-Aviv* – Recent winners of Israeli State Cup, currently managed by Kenny Miller
Anderlecht* – Could be much, but they aren’t on the level of Club Brugge
Pafos FC* – Relative minnows but they overachieved to reach the Champions League last season
Jagiellonia Bialystok* – Potentially, the preferred draw
Hearts* (Loser of Hearts’ CL Q2 tie wiuld fall into this draw, but Rangers can’t play the Jambos at this stage)
Gornik Zabrze (Loser of Gornik’s CL Q2 tie will fall into this draw)
* Those sides will need to come through previous qualifiers
