Main » 2008 » June » 29 » Rangers waiting on European draw
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Rangers waiting on European draw
Rangers waiting on European draw
Rangers captain Barry Ferguson
Rangers were losing finalists in last season's Uefa Cup

[b]Rangers are among four British and Irish clubs in the hat for Tuesday's draw for the early qualifying rounds of next season's Champions League.[/b]

The draw for the first and second rounds will take place at 1100 BST.

Wales' Llanelli AFC, Northern Ireland's Linfield FC and Drogheda United from the Republic are also in the draw.

Linfield, Llanelli and Drogheda all start the tournament in the first qualifying round but Rangers do not come in until the second round.

Rangers boss Walter Smith said his players were already well into the swing of pre-season training with the vital qualifying matches on the horizon.

"Our pre-season is very similar to last year and we felt that was an excellent preparation," Smith told the club website.

"A couple of weeks of training supplies the running and the hard work that has to be done.

"We'll then play our three friendlies abroad and a few more at home and then we are straight into the Champions League qualifiers after that."

The ties for all the qualifying rounds are played over two legs. The first round of qualifying gets under way on 15 July, while the second round kicks off on 29 July.

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The likes of Turkey's Fenerbahce and Greece's Olympiacos will also enter the tournament in the second round of qualifying, but as top seeds for the round Rangers will be drawn against an unseeded side. Drogheda are the only one of the British and Irish sides to be seeded for the first qualifying round.

[b]Arsenal[/b] and [b]Liverpool[/b] enter the tournament in the third round of qualifying, alongside the likes of Barcelona, Juventus, Fiorentina, Marseille and Schalke.

Former England coach Steve McClaren will also have the chance to answer his critics on the big stage when his new FC Twente side join proceedings in the third qualifying round.

[hr] [b]2008-09 Champions League entrants:[/b]

[b]England:[/b] Manchester United, Chelsea (both group); Arsenal, Liverpool (both third qualifying round) [b]Northern Ireland:[/b] Linfield FC (Q1) [b]Scotland:[/b] Celtic (group); Rangers (Q2) [b]Wales:[/b] Llanelli AFC (Q1) [b]Republic of Ireland:[/b] Drogheda United FC (Q1) [b]Spain:[/b] Real Madrid, Villarreal (group); Barcelona, Atletico Madrid (Q3) [b]Italy:[/b] Inter Milan, Roma (group); Juventus, Fiorentina (Q3) [b]France:[/b] Lyon, Bordeaux (group); Marseille (Q3) [b]Germany:[/b] Bayern Munich, Werder Bremen (group); Schalke (Q3) [b]Portugal:[/b] Porto, Sporting Lisbon (group); Vitoria SC (Q3) [b]Romania:[/b] CFR Cluj (group); Steau Bucharest (Q3) [b]Holland:[/b] PSV Eindhoven (group); FC Twente (Q3) [b]Russia:[/b] Zenit St. Petersburg (group); Spartak Moscow (Q3) [b]Ukraine:[/b] Shakhtar Donetsk (Q3); Dynamo Kiev (Q2) [b]Belgium:[/b] Standard Liège (Q3); Anderlecht (Q2) [b]Czech Republic:[/b] Slavia Prague (Q3); Sparta Prague (Q2) [b]Turkey:[/b] Galatasaray (Q3); Fenerbahçe (Q2) [b]Greece:[/b] Olympiacos (Q3); Panathinaikos (Q2) [b]Bulgaria:[/b] Levski Sofia (Q3) [b]Switzerland:[/b] FC Basel (Q2) [b]Norway:[/b] SK Brann (Q2) [b]Israel:[/b] Beitar Jerusalem (Q2) [b]Serbia:[/b] FK Partizan (Q2) [b]Denmark:[/b] Aalborg BK (Q2) [b]Austria: [/b]Rapid Vienna (Q2) [b]Poland:[/b] Wisla Kraków (Q2) [b]Hungary:[/b] MTK Budapest (Q2) [b]Slovakia:[/b] FC Artmedia Petržalka (Q1) [b]Croatia:[/b] Dinamo Zagreb (Q1) [b]Cyprus:[/b] Anorthosis Famagusta (Q1) [b]Sweden:[/b] IFK Gothenburg (Q1) [b]Slovenia:[/b] NK Domžale (Q1) [b]Bosnia & Herzegovina:[/b] FK Modrica (Q1) [b]Latvia:[/b] FK Ventspils (Q1) [b]Lithuania:[/b] FBK Kaunus (Q1) [b]Finland:[/b] Tampere United (Q1) [b]Moldova:[/b] FC Sheriff (Q1) [b]Georgia:[/b] Dinamo Tbilisi (Q1) [b]Macedonia:[/b] FK Rabotnicki (Q1) [b]Iceland:[/b] Valur Reykjavík (Q1) [b]Belarus:[/b] FC BATE Borisov (Q1) [b]Albania:[/b] KS Dinamo Tirana (Q1) [b]Estonia:[/b] Levadia Tallinn (Q1) [b]Armenia:[/b] FC Pyunik (Q1) [b]Azerbaijan:[/b] FC Inter Baki (Q1) [b]Kazakhstan:[/b] FK Aktobe (Q1) [b]Faroe Islands:[/b] NSÍ Runavík (Q1) [b]Luxembourg:[/b] F91 Dudelange (Q1) [b]Malta:[/b] Valetta FC (Q1) [b]Montenegro:[/b] FK Buducnost Podgorica (Q1) [b]Andorra:[/b] FC Santa Coloma (Q1) [b]San Marino:[/b] SS Murata (Q1)
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