Rangers painted clearer Europa League last 16 picture as Jose Mourinho + ex flop on Ibrox collision course
The four teams Rangers could face in the Europa League last 16 were all in play-off round action on Thursday night
Rangers have been painted a clearer picture as to which teams they could face in the last 16 of the Europa League.
The four sides that Philippe Clement’s men could be drawn against were all in play-off first-leg action on Thursday night and both results have left the Ibrox club with a slightly better idea of who they might be paired with.
The Light Blues advanced directly to the last 16 stage and managed to bypass the playoff round after sneaking into the top eight of the League Phase standings following a 2-1 victory over Belgian outfit Union Saint-Gilloise coupled with results elsewhere falling in their favour.
That has allowed under-fire Clement and his players time to sit back and watch last week’s draw unfold, whilst also now recognising the significant of the competition after their horrific Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Queen’s Park last weekend. It means the Europa League is Rangers only remaining knockout tournament they’re still involved in as they bid to avoid finishing the campaign without a trophy.
All eyes were on the continent last night, with Rangers already aware they would face one of either Anderlecht (Belgium), Fenerbahce SK (Turkey), Bodo/Glimt (Norway) or FC Twente (Netherlands) in the next round. That four-club shortlist looks to have been narrowed down after the first leg clashes took place.
Fenerbahce swatted aside Anderlecht 3-0 in Istanbul, courtesy of goals from ex-Premier League stars Dusan Tadic and Edin Dzeko, with Youssef En-Nesyri completing the scoring to leave the Jose Mourinho’s side in a commanding position and on a collision course for Ibrox as things stand.
With that tie all-but over, the other remains a tighter affair with hosts FC Twente leaving it late to snatch a 2-1 lead against Bodo/Glimt ahead of travelling to the Arctic Circle for the return leg next week. Sayfallah Ltaief's opened the scoring after five minutes, but that was cancelled out by Patrick Berg with just five of regulation time remaining.
However, the Eredivisie side were awarded a last-gasp 95th minute penalty, which was converted by Rick van Wolfswinkel to boost unused substitute Sam Lammers' prospects of returning to Glasgow.
There is a faint chance that Rangers could see their last 16 first-leg clash moved date due to the possibility of Fenerbahce bitter Super Lig rivals Galatasaray joining them in the latter stages of Europe’s second tier competition, meaning both clubs would be scheduled to play in the same city on the same evening.
However, that now seems highly unlikely given that the Turkish giants trail AZ Alkmaar 4-1. Should they miraculously overturn that scoreline, a potential encounter between Fenerbahce and Rangers would be shifted to the Wednesday night. The same situation applies if both Anderlecht and Union Saint Gilloise stage unlikely comebacks in their games, with the latter 2-0 down to Ajax.