Who might Rangers be paired with in Friday’s Europa League last-16 draw?

Two months after a historic victory in Spain, Rangers will shortly find out who they will face in the Europa League final 16.

Rangers will avoid fellow seeded sides Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Brighton, Liverpool, Slavia Prague, Villarreal,

and Conference League winners West Ham in this round after finishing first in their group with a 3-2 win over Real Betis.

So, with the draw taking place in Nyon at 11:00 GMT on Friday, who might Philippe Clement’s side face in their next European match?

AC Milan, Roma, and Sporting, who knocked Rangers out of European competition twice between 2008 and 2011,

are among the biggest names on the opposing side.

Milan, who defeated Rennes 3-0 at home in the first leg of their play-off last week,

are well set to advance to the round of 16. Similarly, Sporting defeated Swiss champions Young Boys 3-1.

Milan defeated Rangers 6-1 on aggregate in the European Cup in 1957, but have only played them in friendly matches since then.

Walter Smith’s Uefa Cup finalists defeated Sporting 2-0 on aggregate in 2008 and on away goals in a 2011 Europa League match.

After a 1-1 draw in Rotterdam, Roma’s tie with Feyenoord hangs in the balance.

The Italian giants have found form since ousting Jose Mourinho last month and appointing Daniele di Rossi,

with the club legend losing only one of his six games thus far.

Feyenoord has previously visited Glasgow on European duty this season,

losing 2-1 at Celtic Park in the Champions League group stage following a 2-0 home victory over the Scottish champions.

And, under Steve Gerrard, Rangers defeated the Dutch side in both of their Europa League group meetings in 2019.

Other probable opponents for Clement’s side include Braga or Qarabag, Lens or Freiburg, Benfica or Toulouse,

Galatasaray or Sparta Prague, and Shakhtar Donetsk or Marseille.

Rangers have recently faced Benfica, Galatasaray, and Sparta,

while Marseille will bring back memories of two early 1990s games relished by Ibrox fans.

Clement’s team defeated Sparta 2-1 in the group stage, following a goalless draw in Prague earlier in the season.

The Rangers also defeated the Czechs in 2021, led by Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Due to Covid-19, the 2020 Europa League play-off round was a one-leg tie, with Gerrard’s Rangers defeating Galatasaray 2-1 at Ibrox.

Later that year, Rangers and Benfica had two thrilling group stage draws: 3-3 in Lisbon and 2-2 in Glasgow.

Smith’s Rangers drew twice with Marseille during the Ibrox club’s debut Champions League group season in 1992-93.

Rangers currently have Lens winger Oscar Cortes on loan, and the Colombian might sign a permanent deal at the conclusion of the season.

Rangers may like to avoid Qarabag, their farthest prospective opponent.

The Azerbaijani side, located more than 4,000 kilometers from Glasgow,

scored a surprising 4-2 victory at Braga in last week’s quarterfinal play-off round first leg.

Gurban Gurbanov’s team is the current domestic champions,

leading the league by a comfortable margin as they pursue a third title in a row.

Gurbanov has a diverse roster at his disposal, including Brazilians Matheus Silva,

Julio Romao, and Juninho, Frenchmen Abdellah Zoubir, Adama Diakhaby, and Hamidou Keyta,

and players from Albania, Algeria, Cape Verde, Georgia, Montenegro, and Russia.

Rangers, like Qarabag, have never played Freiburg, Lens, Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk, or Toulouse in a competitive match.
Rangers will face their opponents on March 7 and 14.

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