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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Mark Walker

Rangers are our dream Champions League opponents, says European chief

Rangers have already been identified as dream Champions League qualifiers opponents by Sturm Graz manager Christian Ilzer.

The Ibrox side will enter the Champions League at the third qualifying round stage next season and will be desperate to wipe out the ignominy of this season's campaign which saw them pick up the unwanted tag of being the worst-ever team in the Group Stages after six defeats out of six.

They already know a number of opponents they could face, which include Austrian runners-up Sturm Graz, as well as old foes Union Saint-Gilloise, Servette, Dnipro or Panathinaikos.

And Sturm Graz boss Ilzer, who was previously in charge of Austria Vienna and Wolfsberger in his homeland, has revealed he's desperate to be paired against Michael Beale's men in the draw, which takes place in Switzerland on July 24.

He said: "Getting drawn with Glasgow Rangers would be my wish.

"Not because they are weak, but I would really like to sample the atmosphere at Ibrox Park.

"I'd love to hear the Champions League anthem back at Graz and it's not impossible for us to make it to the Group Stages.

"Last season, we missed out narrowly to Dynamo Kyiv and we want to go further. We look forward to the draw."

Sturm Graz did play at Ibrox in Europe before - Dick Advocaat's side swept away the then-Austrian champions 5-0 in 2000 in the Group Stages through goals from Ronald de Boer, Michael Mols, Jorg Albertz, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Billy Dodds.

However, Sturm gained a measure of revenge with a 2-0 win in the return leg with Arthur Numan sent off.

The Insider newsletter is the latest move by the team at the Rangers Review to bring content directly to you. We already have accounts on Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Tik Tok and Instagram but we will also send exclusive bespoke opinion pieces every day at 5pm direct to your email. Not only will you receive this piece from one of our team of Joshua Barrie, Derek Clark or Jonny McFarlane but you will also get our list of the best content published in the last 24 hours. It's a handy way to keep abreast of what's going on amid all the noise surrounding Scotland's most successful club. You can sign up in five seconds with just an email address here.

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