Rangers have been fired a Champions League warning in the sluggish friendly defeat to Olympiakos, with the Greeks also waiting on the outcome of Genk’s clash with Servette.
The Gers are set to face off against either Belgian side Genk or Swiss outfit Servette in the 3rd round of Champions League qualifying with the two clubs tied at 1-1 following the first leg in Switzerland.
Tolu Arokodare had given the Belgians the lead in the first half on the road before Steve Rouiller equalised with 13 minutes to play to leave the tie neatly poised before next week’s return in Belgium.
But Rangers won’t be the only club who have an eye on the outcome of that match, with Olympiakos set to face the loser of the tie in QR3 of Europa League qualifying.
Whilst the Greeks will be seeded for the clash against either Servette or Genk, just like Rangers are in Champions League, the 3-1 defeat to the Super League side is something of a warning shot.
Rangers get Olympiakos warning shot
The match might only be a pre-season friendly, and Michael Beale confirmed the players have been run hard in training this week, but the performance was almost certainly not Champions League quality.
The Rangers boss will be hoping the decision to play such high profile opposition in pre-season pays off, with the defeat against Olympiakos the chance to learn some lessons and wake up some in the squad.
Whilst the Rangers support are glad the club have invested so heavily in a squad revamp this summer, there remains some nerves about the club’s situation heading into the qualifiers and perhaps rightly so going by the defeat to Olympiakos.
The financial bonuses that come with Champions League qualification are well documented, but if this Rangers team want to play at the highest level they’ll need to be tighter and more ruthless when the competitive action begins.
