Servette: Who are Rangers’ Champions League opponents? Key players, stadium and cost of flights

Rangers have discovered their UEFA Champions League third qualifying round opponents after Servette sprung a minor shock by overcoming KRC Genk of Belgium.

There was little to separate the two clubs over the two-legged tie, with the Swiss outfit earning the right to face Michael Beale’s side after winning 4-1 on penalties at the Cegeka Arena to book their trip to Glasgow.

Gers fans will already be planning their trip to Geneva next week but they will be eager to bounce back to winning ways on Wednesday night after an opening-day defeat to Kilmarnock on Saturday.

Here is everything you need to know about their opponents including the club’s history, the stadium capacity plus how to get there and how much it will cost:

Servette FC history and European participation

Servette are 17-time Swiss Super League champions and finished runners-up in the division last season to BSC Young Boys. They were founded in 1890 and their main rivals are Lausanne-Sport.

The club’s European record across all competitions in total: Played 103 games, Won 38, Draws 24. The furthest Servette have reached was the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners’ Cup both in 1967 and 1979 where they lost to Slavia Sofia and Fortuna Dusseldorf respectively.

They’ve never played in the Champions League group stages, with their most recent European run coming in season 2001/02 when they qualified for the UEFA Cup fourth round only to be knocked out by Spanish outfit Valencia.

Where do Servette FC play? Stadium location and capacity

Servette play at the Stade de Genève in Geneva which as a capacity of 30,084 spectators. It was first opened in April 2003 after almost three years of construction and underwent renovation improvements between 2019 and 2020. The stadium is equipped with heated hybrid turf, Mixto Hybrid Grass by Limonta Sport to cater the needs of football and rugby clubs of Servette.

The city of Geneva is the second-most populous in Switzerland. The city is situated in the south west of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva. As of 2020, Geneva had a population of 203,951.

Who is the manager and key players to watch out for?

René Weiler is currently in charge of Servette. He was officially appointed as manager of Swiss Super League club ahead of the 2023/24 seasonand counts St Gallen (Switzerland), FC Nürnberg (Germany), RSC Anderlecht (Belgium), FC Luzern (Switzerland), Al Ahly (Egypt) and Kashima Antlers (Japan) among a list of former clubs he has managed.

Last season, the club had a number of recognisable names on their books including Kevin Mbabu (ex-Rangers), Moritz Bauer (ex-Celtic) and Gaël Clichy (ex-Manchester City). However, the trio have since departed Servette over the summer.

Three key players for Rangers to watch out for are:

Timothe Cognat - The central midfielder is their most valued playmaker and scored in the victory over Genk Genk last Wednesday. Capped by France at Under-19 level, he signed for the club in 2019 on a permanent deal from Lyon and has made more than 125 appearances in that time.

Miroslav Stevanović - The former Sevilla winger and Bosnian international is a vastly experienced member of the squad at the age of 33. He has been at Servette since the summer of 2017 and was named Swiss Challenge League Player of the Year two years later. Has made over 200 appearances for the club.

Nicolas Vouilloz - The defender might only be 22-years-old but he has already managed 74 appearances in just three seasons since emerging from the club’s youth academy. A near ever-present for his national team and youth level, he is part of top European agency SBE Management AG who also represent Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

How to get there

Rangers fans will most likely have to travel by plane to reach Geneva. Supporters might also explore travelling to France or Italy and taking a train journey to their onward destination.

As of the morning of Saturday, August 5, flights from Glasgow Airport departing on Monday, August 14th and returning on Wednesday, August 16th were showing at between £450 and £510 return.

There are currently no direct flights from Glasgow, with Lufthansa operating a connecting flight from Frankfurt to Geneva and EasyJet operating a connecting flight from London Gatwick to Geneva.

Flight from Edinburgh on the same dates are also available but they work out slightly more expensive between between £430 and £630.

Rangers v Servette fixture dates and play-off round draw

The first leg of the match will be played at Ibrox on Wednesday, August 9th with a 7.45pm kick-off and the second leg in Geneva one week later on Tuesday, August 15th, with a 7.30pm kick-off time.

The draw for the play-off round of the UEFA Champions League is due to be made on Monday, August 7th, so both clubs will have an idea of what teams await them in the next round should they progress through the tie. The play-off round is the final round of qualifiers before the group stages.