Confirmed: Rangers eight possible Europa League KO play-off opponents after delayed Champions League tie

Rangers have learned their possible opponents in the Europa League knock-out play-off round following the conclusion of their 1-1 draw in Lyon.
Rangers players celebrate Scott Wright's opener in the 1-1 draw in Lyon (Photo by JEFF PACHOUD/AFP via Getty Images)Rangers players celebrate Scott Wright's opener in the 1-1 draw in Lyon (Photo by JEFF PACHOUD/AFP via Getty Images)
Rangers players celebrate Scott Wright's opener in the 1-1 draw in Lyon (Photo by JEFF PACHOUD/AFP via Getty Images)

Due to finishing second in Group A, the Ibrox side will enter a preliminary knock-out round which they will have to successfully negotiate in order to reach the last 16 of the competition proper.

Their possible opponents in the next round come from the list of eight sides who finished third in the Champions League group stages, seven of whom were confirmed after the conclusion of Wednesday’s fixtures.

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Some big hitters potentially lie in wait including Barcelona and Dortmund while Leipzig, Porto, Sevilla, Sheriff and Zenit had also been confirmed.

Rangers had to wait until tonight to find out their eighth possible opponent after Wednesday’s Champions League match between Atlanta and Villareal was postponed and delayed for 24 hours due to heavy snow.

The match took place on Thursday evening, with Villareal claiming a 3-2 win to progress to the Champions League last 16, meaning Atlanta drop into Europa League knock-out play-off round, and a possible clash with Rangers.

The format for the draw means that Rangers will be a seeded team with the second leg of the knockout stage played at Ibrox.

The draw for the knockout stage is set to take place on December 13, with the matches to be played on February 17 and 24.

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