O WAD some Pow’r the giftie gie us. To see oursels as ithers see us!
The words of Burns are unlikely to feature in many team-talks this summer but the message should be taken to heart by Scotland’s European hopefuls in the coming weeks.
The draws for the Europa League and Champions League at this stage of the campaign invariably provoke the same reactions from supporters as our sides are paired with clubs that many know little about and set up meetings against players that most have never heard of.
Rangers were handed a trip to Luxembourg to take on Progrès Niederkorn, while St Johnstone head to Lithuania to face FK Trakai as they bid to reach the next round. Aberdeen are already there and will meet either Ordabasy Shymkent or Siroki Brijeg in the second of four ties our sides must progress through if they are to achieve mission improbable and reach the group stages.
Victory for Rangers over Progres would set up a clash with AEL Limassol or St Josephs from Gibraltar but Pedro Caixinha will take nothing for granted in these early rounds as his side look to hit the ground running on their European return.
Only two teams from the 96 – Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Qabala – that set out in the first round last term were able to make it through all the qualifiers. The season before, the Azerbaijanis and Rosenborg defied the odds as 100 others failed to realise their dreams on the continent.
Derek Rae has covered the European game extensively for BT Sport in recent years and believes Scottish sides have to be pragmatic in their approach as the countdown continues to the big kick-off.
“We tend to look quite disparagingly at some clubs and countries that 20 years ago we saw as cannon fodder, but they are not anymore,” said Rae. “Obviously Rangers and Celtic still carry the name factor. You see the name and you think of a club with European pedigree. But Rangers haven’t been in Europe for a few years now and respect has to be earned.
“In Cyprus, the coefficient is very similar to Scotland so drawing Rangers won’t strike any fear in AEL Limassol, who have been in group stages and play-off rounds.
“Cypriot football is not a joke, it is a very decent level and we have seen APOEL be at the forefront of that in recent years. This is only the second round, if Rangers get past Progrès and AEL beat St Joseph’s. Pedro Caixinha will be looking at it as one game at a time.
“I know it is tempting for Rangers fans to think ‘We can beat that team and this team and then there is a chance of getting to the play-offs’. It is far more complicated than that.”
The first leg against Progrès next Thursday will be another important step for Rangers as they mark their return to European competition after a six-year absence. It will be the start of Caixinha’s first full term in charge and the side that strides out at Ibrox will be significantly changed from the one that finished a wretched season against St Johnstone just a few weeks ago.
The European campaign will provide fresh challenges for Rangers but Rae believes it is one that their supporters should relish.
“There is probably going to be a bit of a catch-up period for Rangers fans,” he said.
“Supporters focus on their own club and Rangers haven’t been in Europe for some time.
“While that has been the case, things have changed and it is a challenge for Scottish clubs in the qualifying rounds. It is the old cliché in football about one game at a time, but Rangers should be going into it one round at a time. You can’t look past the first opponent.
“People can say what they like about football in Luxembourg, but I remember last season Aberdeen played Fola Esch and it wasn’t straightforward.”
The Progrès matches will be the first competitive outings of the season for Rangers after a fortnight off and a shortened pre-season.
It is a far from ideal scenario and the hurdles will become ever more difficult to overcome.
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