Rangers embark on their latest Champions League qualifying campaign on Tuesday, when they travel to Poland for the first leg of a third qualifying round tie against Dynamo Kiev.
Both clubs finished runners-up in their respective leagues last season, and after Dynamo cruised through their first qualifier, the two sides are now vying for a place in the playoffs.
Match preview
Finishing second in last term's Scottish Premiership with a relatively disappointing tally of 85 points, Rangers trailed in eight behind champions Celtic after stumbling towards the campaign's conclusion.
Philippe Clement's men won only four of their last 10 league matches and then lost the Scottish Cup final to their bitter foes from across the Glasgow divide, so a fast start was desired this season.
However, after losing three of four pre-season fixtures - to Ajax, Manchester United and Birmingham City - the Light Blues travelled to Tynecastle for their first game of the 2024-25 Premiership on Saturday.
Hearts held firm for a goalless draw in the Scottish capital, and ahead of an upcoming home game against Motherwell, Rangers must meet Dynamo Kiev in the Polish city of Lublin, hoping to avoid another setback to hopes of a successful campaign.
Last season, they managed one win from four Europa League contests away from Ibrox before exiting to Benfica in the last 16; now, they will aim to stay in contention for a precious Champions League playoff by frustrating their third-round hosts.
While Rangers were in domestic action at the weekend, Dynamo Kiev were spared participation in the Ukrainian Premier League's opening matchday and should arrive fresh-legged in Lubin, where they will play due to the ongoing war in their home nation.
Dynamo finished second in the top flight last season, narrowly missing out on their first title since 2021 as they came in just two points adrift of champions Shakhtar Donetsk and automatically qualified for the Champions League's preliminary rounds.
Entering at the second stage, with an apparently tough tie versus Partizan Belgrade, Mykola Shaparenko, Volodymyr Brazhko and Oleksandr Karavaev all scored during a four-minute salvo just before half time in a staggering 6-2 first-leg win that effectively put them through after one game.
Adding three more away from home, with veteran striker Andriy Yarmolenko joining Vladyslav Vanat and Karavaev on the scoresheet in the second leg, produced an aggregate result that will further build confidence following a largely successful pre-season.
Dynamo's most recent attempt at qualifying for Europe's elite competition saw them thumped 5-0 by Benfica in the 2022 playoffs, and they then failed to reach the Europa Conference League proper in 2023, going out to Besiktas.
The Ukrainian giants do boast a proud history in the Champions League, though, and they progressed to the last 16 only eight years ago. Now, earning a ticket back to the lucrative group phase is the sole goal for Oleksandr Shovkovskyi's side.
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Team News
Replacing the recently-departed Connor Goldson in Rangers' defence, centre-back signing Robin Propper has arrived from fellow Champions League qualifying hopefuls FC Twente and could potentially make his debut on Tuesday, after missing out against Hearts.
Vaclav Cerny, on loan from Wolfsburg, was given half an hour as a substitute at Tynecastle, so the Czech winger may now be ready to start; Connor Barron made his competitive debut at the weekend and is also likely to play.
However, boss Philippe Clement has an injury concern regarding Oscar Cortes, after the Lens loanee was forced off shortly after half time.
Dynamo Kiev are set to name a similar XI to that which started the first leg of their second-round clash with Partizan, featuring Andriy Yarmolenko, who has scored 23 goals in 98 UEFA competition appearances.
His young colleague Vladyslav Vanat should also start up front, having netted 14 times in the Ukrainian Premier League last season, while Vitaliy Buyalskyi captains the side from midfield.
Dynamo Kiev possible starting lineup:
Bushchan; Karavaev, Popov, Dyachuk, Vivcharenko; Buyalskyi, Brazhko, Shaparenko; Yarmolenko, Vanat, Kabayev
Rangers possible starting lineup:
Butland; Tavernier, Souttar, Propper, Yilmaz; Diomande, Barron; Wright, Lawrence, Cerny; Dessers
We say: Dynamo Kiev 1-0 Rangers
Despite the lack of home of advantage in Lubin, Dynamo Kiev had a better pre-season period than Rangers and were able to rest at the weekend after strolling through the second qualifying round; they should take a slim lead with them to Scotland's second city next week.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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