Russell Martin’s first game as Rangers manager will be a tough one after the Scottish Premiership club were drawn to face Panathinaikos in the second round of the UEFA Champions League qualifying. The teams will meet in Glasgow first, before the return leg takes place in Athens. Hibernian will play Midtjylland in the UEFA Europa League qualification stages.
Rangers have been given the toughest possible draw in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League after being paired with Panathinaikos.
Out of the three sides the Scottish Premiership club could have been drawn against, Panathinaikos are far higher in the rankings than Swiss side Servette and Norwegian club Brann.
Rangers will be at home for the first leg, which will take place at Ibrox on July 22, with the return leg in Athens a week later.
The tie will be the first time Russell Martin takes competitive charge of Rangers, following his appointment as head coach.
Barry Ferguson guided the club until the end of last season in the wake of Philippe Clement’s sacking, before Martin was appointed to lead Rangers into the 2025/26 campaign.
Ferguson took them to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League, where they lost to Athletic Club.
Like Rangers, Panathinaikos finished second in their domestic league last season, with Rui Vitoria’s side ending 16 points behind champions Olympiakos.
Two seasons ago, they were knocked out in Champions League qualifying after a defeat against Braga – the last time they played in the competition.
Last term, they reached the last 16 in the UEFA Conference League, before they were knocked out by Fiorentina.
The Greek side are hoping to make it to the Champions League proper for the first time since 2010/11, where they finished bottom of a group containing Barcelona, Copenhagen and Rubin Kazan.
Elsewhere for Scottish sides, Hibernian have been drawn to play Denmark’s Midtjylland in the Europa League second qualifying round.
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