CL draw: Rangers face Union St. Gilloise

The third qualifying round of the Champions League has set last season’s Europa League finalists Rangers up with a difficult draw against Belgian side Union St. Gilloise. 

Les Unionistes have been a revelation in Belgian football in recent years following the takeover of the club by Brighton & Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom. Union St. Gilloise finished last year’s regular Belgian season first by five points but, in typically confusing Belgian football fashion, weren't crowned champions as they finished second in the playoffs behind Club Brugge.

Union St. Gilloise’s English influence extends to the pitch with former Chelsea youth product Marcel Lewis and ex-Portsmouth defender Christian Burgess both plying their trade in the Belgian top flight. 

Ross Sykes is the most recent addition to the English contingent following his summer move from Accrington Stanley.

The two fixtures will be played in Belgium on the 2nd of August and at Ibrox on the 9th. The games won’t be easy for Giovanni van Bronckhorst, although their exploits in Europe last season should give them the confidence to progress to the group stage of the Champions League.

Elsewhere in the third-round PSV Eindhoven face Monaco, either Dynamo Kyiv or Fenerbahçe will take on Sturm Graz, and Benfica await the winners of AEK Larnaca and Midtjylland.  

🆕 We will face @UnionStGilloise in the @ChampionsLeague third qualifying round. pic.twitter.com/qy0ZrcruQp

— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) July 18, 2022