Rangers are hoping for Sparta Prague to do them a Europa League favour with Premier League foes Liverpool a potential pot one opponent.
As the club’s fans lick their wounds following the 5-1 Champions League humbling v PSV, Rangers will console themselves with the fact that they drop into the Europa League.
But as things stand the Ibrox club are set to come out of pot two with Rangers narrowly avoiding a place in the highly-preferable pot one of the Europa League.
Amongst the top teams in the competition includes a resurgent Liverpool, who beat Rangers 2-0 at Anfield and then hammered them 7-1 at Ibrox last season in the Champions League.
With much of the chatter around the disparity of finances which prevents the Ibrox side competing at the elite level, drawing the Merseysiders is an ominous prospect.
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Rangers need Sparta Prague Europa League pot one favour
Alongside Liverpool, Rangers could also draw West Ham, Ajax, AS Roma, Villarreal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atalanta and potentially Dinamo Zagreb from a competitive Europa League pot one.
The Croatian side lead Sparta Prague 3-1 on aggregate heading into the second leg in the Czech Republic and their superior coefficient score sees them pipping Rangers to Europa League pot one as things stand.
But if Sparta Prague can turn the tie around in Eastern Europe then Rangers would take Dinamo’s place, meaning a win for the Czech club benefits the Gers.
As things stand, Rangers are guaranteed to avoid Europa League matches with Sporting Lisbon, Stade Rennais and Real Betis.
For a look at the entire seeding for the Europa League group stages, with the participants to be finalised this evening and the draw to be made Friday, visit Kassiesa.
Rangers crashed out of Champions League qualification 7-3 on aggregate at the hands of PSV Eindhoven, the Dutch club’s superior investment proving a bridge too far.