Soccer

Rangers to face RB Salzburg or Twente if they can see off Dynamo Kyiv

Rangers take on Kyiv this week.

Philippe Clement’s Gers have learned their route to the Champions League
Philippe Clement’s Gers have learned their route to the Champions League (Steve Welsh/PA)
By Anthony Brown, PA

Rangers will face either Salzburg or Twente in the Champions League play-off round if they defeat Dynamo Kyiv in their third qualifying round tie.

The Light Blues meet last season’s Ukrainian runners-up in the first leg in Lublin, Poland on Tuesday, with the return at Hampden a week later.

If Philippe Clement’s side overcome Kyiv, they will face the winner of the tie between Austrian Bundesliga runners-up Salzburg and Twente, who finished third in the Eredivisie last term.

The first leg would be in Glasgow on August 20 or 21, with the return match in Austria or the Netherlands on August 27 or 28.

Hearts face a Europa League play-off against the winners of the third qualifying round tie between Ukrainian side Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih and Czech outfit Viktoria Plzen.

Kryvbas finished third in the Ukrainian top flight last season, while Plzen were third in the Czech league. The two sides meet each other over the next two Thursdays to decide who will face the Edinburgh club, with the Ukrainians – as a result of the ongoing war with Russia – playing their home leg in Kosice, Slovakia.

The Jambos, who finished third in the Scottish Premiership last term, have been drawn away in the first leg of the play-off on August 22, with the return set to be at Tynecastle the following week.

If Hearts lose, they will parachute into the Conference League group stage, as they did two years ago after losing their play-off against Swiss side Zurich.

St Mirren and Kilmarnock discovered who they will face in the Conference League play-offs if they defeat their respective Norwegian opponents in the third qualifying round over the next two Thursdays.

Saints will meet the winner of the tie between Romanian side Corvinul 1921 Hunedoara and FC Astana of Kazakhstan if they get past Brann, while Killie’s reward if they eliminate Tromso will be a showdown with Danish side FC Copenhagen or Czech outfit Banik Ostrava.