RANGERS’ return to European football for the first time in six seasons could see them sent to a location as diverse as Armenia, Andorra or Kosovo. The draw for the first two qualifying rounds of the Europa League and the Champions League will be made tomorrow, with the Ibrox club, Aberdeen, St Johnstone and Celtic all set to learn their fate.
Rangers and St Johnstone are both seeded in the first qualifying round of the Europa League but, with UEFA choosing not to regionalise the draw, could find themselves been sent anywhere on the Continent.
Should both make it through, they will be joined in the second round by Aberdeen although Rangers, with a smaller co-efficient that reflects the absence of European football over the past five years, would not be seeded at this juncture and could be paired with the likes of Galatasaray, Maccabi Tel-Aviv, or Dinamo Minsk.
Celtic would be seeded in each of the three qualifying rounds they would need to negotiate to reach the group phase of the Champions League for a second successive season. Their toughest potential opponent, as thing stand, in the play-off round based on co-efficient would be BATE Borisov of Belarus, with Legia Warsaw and Maribor also possibilities.
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