Rangers, Hibernian, and Dundee United Unveil European Opponents
Rangers Matched with Highest-Ranked Greek Team
Rangers have drawn Panathinaikos for the second qualifying round of the Champions League. The matches are set for 22 July and the return leg will take place a week later. This marks Russell Martin’s debut as head coach for Rangers in competitive play, and he faces a significant challenge against a well-regarded Greek side, despite Rangers being seeded higher.
Both teams in this matchup were runners-up in their respective leagues last season. However, Panathinaikos ranks 111th in the European club rankings, which is 86 places below Rangers. Competing against them are Swiss club Servette (139th) and Norwegian side Brann (189th).
The former Egyptian and Benfica coach, Rui Vitoria, leads Panathinaikos. Last season, they finished 16 points behind Olympiakos in the Greek Super League after gaining ground on AEK Athens following the league split. Historically, Panathinaikos has never lost to Scottish teams in regular time across four prior confrontations, boasting victories in four of their seven matches.
Nevertheless, when they last met Rangers, the Scottish side triumphed. Panathinaikos eliminated after a 3-0 home win in the UEFA Cup group stage in 2007-08, despite a 0-0 draw in Glasgow.
Panathinaikos has not made it to the Champions League group stage since the 2010-11 season, starting last year’s campaign in Europa League qualifiers, where they beat Botev Plovdiv but were noticeably bested by Ajax. They reached the Conference League through a win against Lens but were defeated by Chelsea and Fiorentina in subsequent rounds.
In contrast, Rangers suffered a defeat in their opening Champions League qualifier against Dynamo Kyiv last season under Philippe Clement but advanced to the Europa League quarter-finals with Barry Ferguson stepping into coaching duties by that time. Progressing in the upcoming rounds would set up potential clashes in the league stage.
Hibernian Faces Danish Superliga Runners-Up
Hibernian, returning to European competition after a year away, will competently face Danish side Midtjylland in the second qualifying round of the Europa League. Following their third-place finish in the Premiership last season, David Gray’s squad will visit Denmark on 24 July, with a subsequent home matchup a week later.
Hibs were unseeded in the draw, thus avoiding tougher opponents like Belgium’s Anderlecht. Midtjylland, who were runners-up in the Danish Superliga, concluded the previous Europa League phase in 20th position and lost to Real Sociedad in the knockout stage after a path of ups and downs.
This will be Hibernian’s first venture back into European football since losing to Aston Villa in the Conference League play-offs last time. They have previously battled Danish teams, having eliminated Rangers in 2019 before defeating Celtic in another European qualification clash.
Dundee United Sidesteps Other British Clubs
Dundee United will host UNA Strassen from Luxembourg in the first leg as they return to European competitions after a two-year hiatus, following their commendable fourth-place finish in the Premiership. The team, under head coach Arno Bonvini, will engage in their second European encounter, aiming to improve on last season’s aggregate loss against Finnish club Kuopion Palloseura.
In addition, potential matchups loom in the Irish landscape with Cliftonville possibly taking on Shamrock Rovers if they can overcome St Joseph’s from Gibraltar. Northern Irish club Dungannon will face Vaduz in Liechtenstein, while other fixtures see Larne or Auda of Latvia meeting Sheriff Tiraspol or Prishtina from Kosovo.
Furthermore, if The New Saints secure a win against Shkendija, they could face Drita of Kosovo or Differdange 03 from Luxembourg in their opening leg, while St Patrick’s Athletic is set to confront either Nomme Kalju of Estonia or Albania’s Partizani, contingent on overcoming Hegelmann from Lithuania.
Lastly, the loser between Shelbourne and Linfield in the Champions League will meet either Zalgiris of Lithuania or Hamrun Spartans of Malta.
