Rangers next Champions League opponents if they defeat Panathinaikos revealed following UEFA draw

Russell Martin’s first competitive game as Gers boss comes against the Greek side at Ibrox on Tuesday night in the second qualiyfing round first leg before the return game in Athens the following week.

The draw for the Champions League third qualifying round was made at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland on Monday with Rangers among the seeded clubs.

There were four possibilities for Rangers which included a potential reunion with Jose Mourinho and his big-spending Fenerbahce side, who the Glasgow outfit knocked out of the Europa League last season.

Rangers have avoided this prospect, however, with the winner of their tie against Panathinaikos having been drawn to face the winners of the tie between Viktoria Plzen and Servette.

Plzen finished second in the Czech top flight last season behind runaway champions Slavia Prague. They faced Scottish opposition as recently as last year when they defeated Hearts 2-0 on aggregate in the Europa League play-off round with a 1-0 win in each leg.

Servette, meanwhile, who finished runners-up to FC Basel in the Swiss League last term, are no stranger to Rangers having faced the Ibrox side in the third round of Champions League qualifying two years ago. Michael Beale's side scraped through 3-2 on aggreggate after following a 2-1 victory at Ibrox with a 1-1 draw in Geneva.

The Champions League third qualifying round ties take place on August 5/6 and August 12/13, with the draw for the play-off round behind held on Monday, August 4.

Rangers have also discovered who they will face in the Europa League third qualifying round if they lose to Panathinaikos. Defeat would see Martin’s men drop into UEFA’s second tier competition where they will come up against the winner of the tie between Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine and Turkish outfit Besiktas.