FOUR rivals are being whittled down to TWO tonight as Rangers fans eagerly await their Europa League draw fate.
And there’s been massive drama in two huge second leg clashes, as Bodo/Glimt made it past FC Twente in extra time and Anderlecht’s clash with Fenerbahce was suspended due to crowd trouble.
European performances have been a saviour for under pressure manager Philippe Clement[/caption]
Hamza Igamane of Rangers during their win over Union Saint-Gilloise[/caption]
After a stellar league phase performance, the Ibrox side finished in the top eight of the competition and secured a direct place in the last 16 proper.
The Gers opened their UEL campaign back in September with a solid 2-0 away win against Swedish side Malmo.
In October, Nice of France proved too tough when they ran out 4-1 winners at Ibrox, but another home tie soon after allowed the chance to bounce back as Bucharest were brushed aside by four goals to none.
Points were shared with one goal each at Olympiacos, then their last result against a French side was reserved as they bested OGC Nice 4-1 on their own turf.
Philippe Clement‘s side faced back-to-back English powerhouses as they secured a huge draw at home against Tottenham Hotspur before narrowly losing to Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The league phase was rounded off and the last 16 secured last month with a 2-1 win at home against Union St. Gilloise.
Proving themselves to be up to the task in Europe and with the possibility of a favourable draw, Rangers will be hoping to match or possibly better their 2022 run to the UEL final where they lost on penalties to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Here are the details of the draw which will reveal what lies ahead for Rangers.
When is the Europa League last 16 draw?
- The Europa League last 16 draw will take place on Friday, February 21.
- The subsequent rounds all the way to the final will also be drawn.
- The draw will be held at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.
- The draw will take place at 12 noon UK time.
How can I watch the Europa League last 16 draw?
- The draw will be streamed live on Uefa.com.
- The draw will also be live on TNT Sports and subscribers can view it via the discovery+ app.
Who is already through to the last 16?
The teams that have secured a place in the last 16 already by finishing in the top eight of the league phase are:
- Lazio
- Athletic Bilbao
- Manchester United
- Tottenham Hotspur
- Eintracht Frankfurt
- Lyon
- Olympiacos
- Rangers
Who could Rangers face in the Europa League last 16?
Rangers were already drawn to face the winner of either FC Twente and Bodo/Glimt or the winner of the Fenerbahce and Anderlecht tie.
But that number is being whittled down from four down to two tonight.
And there were incredible scenes in the clash between Bodo/Glimt and Sam Lammers and Gustaf Lagerbielke’s FC Twente – with THREE goals in injury time which put the game into extra time.
The on-loan Celtic star conceded a PENALTY against the Norwegians which gave them a route back into the game then two more goals in injury time – a Mees Hilgers own goal in 90+2 and a strike from Brice Brice Wembangomo (90+4) made it look as though Bodo/Glimt would be marching on.
But a goal in 90+6 from Sem Steijn put us into extra time.
That only prolonged Twente’s misery, though, with the Norwegians banging in another TWO goalsto progress 6-4 on aggregate.
And there’s been even more drama in Brussels, where Anderlecht are endeavouring to fight back from a three-goal first leg deficit against Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce.
Conceding a goal in the fourth minute to go 4-0 down on aggregate, there then followed clashes in the crowd – with reports of Nazi salutes from fans.
The match has currently been suspended just seven minutes into the game.
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