Football

Rangers Fans Relish Postecoglou Showdown As Europa League Opponents Confirmed

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James Chittick
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Published30 Aug 2024

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Rangers Europa League Group

Fans are already eyeing a rematch with former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou after Rangers’ Europa League Group draw sees them face Tottenham and Manchester United.

Rangers supporters have taken to social media to express their eagerness for a showdown with former Old Firm rival Postecoglou, who now manages Tottenham.

The Australian managed Celtic from 2021-2023, winning two league and cup doubles and the Scottish domestic treble in 2022/23.

In that time, he faced Rangers 11 times, winning six with two draws and three defeats. But now, the blue side of Glasgow is looking forward to facing an old foe in different colours.

One X (Twitter) user said: “Bring them on, Ange’s days are numbered.”

Another said: “Ange returning to Glasgow? That’d be a quiet night at the library – not!”

But some Celtic fans were also quick to remind their rivals of Ange’s record at Ibrox.

Postecoglou himself joked that he expects a ‘warm’ reception when he returned to Glasgow with Tottenham.

Rangers Europa League Group And Fixtures

Aside from Tottenham, Rangers’ draw sees them hosting Lyon, Union SG and FCSB. They also travel to Manchester United, Olympiacos, Malmo and Nice.

With an expanded league phase, Rangers will no longer face their opponents home and away, instead playing each of their eight matches against different teams.

Although exact dates and kickoff times are yet to be confirmed, we do know the competition schedule and knockout round dates.

League Phase:

  • Matchday 1 – 25/26 Sep 2024
  • Matchday 2 – 3 Oct 2024
  • Matchday 3 – 24 Oct 2024
  • Matchday 4 – 7 Nov 2024
  • Matchday 5 – 28 Nov 2024
  • Matchday 6 – 12 Dec 2024
  • Matchday 7 – 23 Jan 2025
  • Matchday 8 – 30 Jan 2025

Knockout Phase:

  • Play-Offs – 13 & 20 Feb 2025
  • Last 16 – 6 & 13 Mar 2025
  • Quarter-Finals – 10 & 17 Apr 2025
  • Semi-Finals – 1 & 8 May,2025
  • Final – 21 May 2025

New Europa League Format Explained

This year sees a new format introduced to the UEFA Champions League and Europa League.

For the first time, traditional group stages have been scrapped. All 36 teams in the Europa League will instead compete in a single league phase.

There is also no longer the threat of Champions League sides dropping down, as this has also been removed from the competition.

Each side plays eight games in the league phase – four home and four away. Two opponents are drawn from each of the four seeded pots, based on UEFA coefficient.

The top eight sides go through automatically to the last 16, with teams ranked ninth to 24th facing each other in a playoff round.

Clubs finishing 25th and below are eliminated from all European competitions, with no route to the Conference League.