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<\/p>\nJust one more hurdle stands between the Light Blues and the lucrative league phase and it’s a familiar opponent<\/p>\n
20:30, 12 Aug 2025Updated 22:20, 12 Aug 2025<\/p>\n
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‘Rangers were WOEFUL and that’s the worst we’ve seen so far’ – Hotline Live<\/p>\n
Rangers will face Club Brugge in the playoff round of the Champions League<\/a> after the Belgians played out a right humdinger of a tie with Red Bull Salzburg.<\/p>\n Russell Martin’s men defeated Viktoria Plzen 4-2 over two legs<\/a> to book their place in the final qualification round and their slightly earlier kick-off time saw them await the result from Bruges to see just who they will take on later this month.<\/p>\n Gers had won 3-0 at Ibrox last week but fell to a 2-1 loss in the Czech Republic with Lyall Cameron opening his account for the club with a consolation strike.<\/p>\n Brugge – who played Celtic in the Champions League last season – went into the return fixture at home with a narrow one goal advantage from the first leg in the Austrian capital last week.<\/p>\n But the outcome of the tie was then swung on it’s head when Salzburg raced into a 2-0 lead within the first 45 minutes courtesy of goal from Jacob Rassmussen and Edmund Baidoo.<\/p>\n However, the Belgian Pro League outfit regained control after the break and struck twice to win the tie 3-2 on aggregate.<\/p>\n Joaquin Seys made it 2-1 on 61 minutes before Carlos Forbs netted the crucial goal seven minutes from time to set up a showdown with Rangers next week.<\/p>\n The Light Blues will welcome Bruges to Ibrox on August 19\/20 before making the trip to Belgium a week later on August 26\/27.<\/p>\n Rangers were given the opportunity to have extra preparation time in between the two ties, as part of a new SPFL scheme to help Scottish teams trying to qualify for European competition.<\/p>\n They had initially lodged a request to the Premiership’s governing body to postpone the league clash with St Mirren in Paisley on Sunday, August 24.<\/p>\n But earlier on Tuesday, the Ibrox giants confirmed that they have now withdrawn that appeal<\/a>, with the Gers happy to make the trip to Paisley in between the vital showdowns with Brugge.<\/p>\n The winner of the two ties could land a \u00a340million jackpot in the promise land of the Champions League, which was revamped into an eight-game league format from the traditional group stage formula at the start of last season.<\/p>\n Rangers and Brugge have already met this season, with the Scots coming back from 2-0 down to claim a share of the spoils in a friendly encounter at Ibrox last month.<\/p>\n Follow Record Sport<\/strong> on Twitter<\/a>, Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a> for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond.<\/p>\n You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers<\/a> page and sign up to our newsletters<\/a> to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season.<\/p>\n We’re also on WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tune in to Hotline Live<\/a> every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport’s newest podcast, Game On<\/a>, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.<\/strong><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0_GettyImages-2229056776.jpg\")
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