Union Saint-Gilloise to face Rangers in Champions League preliminary round

Union Saint-Gilloise to face Rangers in Champions League preliminary round
Union's staff and players pictured during the club's 2022-2023 photoshoot. Credit: Belga.

Union Saint-Gilloise will face Glasgow Rangers – finalists of last year's Europa League – in the third preliminary round of the Champions League.

Despite just being promoted to the Belgian First Division in 2021, the club had a fairytale season and ended the regular season in top spot.

However, Belgian football, like many of the country's institutions, is convoluted. A post-season playoff series is held to determine the league champion.

Union was closely pursued by previous winners Club Brugge all season and ended up being outdone by them at the final hurdle, losing in dramatic manner to the Flemish side.

Despite finishing second, the Brussels club managed to clinch a Champions League play-off spot, returning to European competition for the first time in over five decades.

Who are they facing?

The Champions League draw was held on Monday in Switzerland, and the Unionists will meet Rangers, who were runners-up in both the Scottish Premier League and the European League last season.

Union will host the opening leg on either August 2 or 3, with the second leg taking place on August 9 in Glasgow.

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The victors of this third preliminary round will progress to the final round before the group stages of the tournament; the losers will enter the Europa League group stage.

L'Union fait la force?

The club may not have foreseen the drastic changes that the squad and staff have experienced this summer.

They initially lost their star striker, Deniz Undav, who moved to join Brighton – owned by Tony Bloom, who also owns the Brussels club.

The club's coach, Felice Mazzù, then abruptly quit to join local rivals Anderlecht.

And on Monday, the club revealed that Casper Nielsen, their Danish star midfielder, has joined last season's title winners Club Brugge.

But if last season taught us anything, is that when the crowd is behind them at the Joseph Marien Stadium, anything can happen.


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