Venue: Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow
Date: Tuesday, 22 July
Time: 19:45 BST
Coverage: Listen on BBC Radio Scotland Extra & Sounds, live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & app
After concluding a lackluster season just sixty-six days ago, Rangers are set to embark on one of the most significant matches of their new campaign. Facing a challenging draw in the second qualifying round of Europe's top club competition, new head coach Russell Martin must navigate a difficult path to the Champions League.
Rangers will compete against Panathinaikos, the Greek Super League runners-up, presenting a formidable challenge. The key question is whether Rangers are prepared for this demanding journey.
Including the newly contracted Oscar Cortes, Rangers have added eight new players for the upcoming season. Unfortunately for Martin, one of these signings, Norwegian international Thelo Aasgaard, will miss the first leg at Ibrox. Additionally, the latest arrival, Djeidi Gassama, is not yet ready to start.
The club's motto is more relevant than ever, as the team must be prepared to deliver their best performance.
The allure of the Champions League's prestige and financial rewards is a significant motivator, especially as city rivals Celtic have secured a spot in the competition for the past three seasons. However, due to Scotland's coefficient, even Celtic must qualify this year, albeit two rounds later.
The tournament's new format appears more favorable to Scottish teams, as evidenced by last year's results in Glasgow's east end. The opportunity is there for both clubs.
Should Rangers overcome Rui Vitoria's side, they will face familiar opponents Servette and Viktoria Plzen. With tougher challenges like Besiktas or Shakhtar Donetsk in the Europa League as a fallback, the incentive to succeed is even greater.
A victory would also ensure at least Europa League participation until January. Although Rangers' squad requires further refinement, Martin has assembled a team he hopes can surpass Panathinaikos, who trailed Greek league champions Olympiacos similarly to Rangers' gap with Celtic.
Rangers supporters have seen their team in action once this preseason, resulting in a 2-2 draw with Club Brugge, where only one of Martin's new signings, on-loan full-back Max Aarons, started.
Despite some practice games, the question remains whether the team is fully prepared to integrate the new players into a squad in desperate need of rebuilding.
Vitoria's Ambition and Belief
Panathinaikos need not look far for inspiration, having secured a Europa League draw against eventual Greek champions Olympiacos in Pireaus last November.
Portuguese coach Rui Vitoria has made minimal changes to his squad from last season and is hopeful of bringing Morocco international midfielder Azzedine Ounahi back to Athens after a successful loan from Marseille, although Girona has also shown interest in the 2022 World Cup standout.
Panathinaikos reached the last 16 of the Conference League in the 2024-25 season, losing to Fiorentina. However, they haven't participated in the Champions League proper for 15 years, a situation they are eager to change. They concluded their preseason with a 3-1 victory over Westerlo in Athens' Olympic Stadium, where they will host Rangers next Wednesday.
"These matches are always different from the official ones," midfielder Adam Cerin commented after the game. "Things are not easy, but we showed that we are in good shape. Factors like the atmosphere at Ibrox come into play. We prepared well and will give everything."
Cerin added, "We will give our best to achieve a positive result there, allowing us to return to Athens with an advantage."
Coach Vitoria remains confident in his team's ability to overcome their Scottish hosts over the two legs, stating, "We have ambition, quality, and we want to qualify against Rangers. They are a strong team with a rich European history, especially in the Champions League, but we have our own chances. We believe in ourselves and want to qualify."
With Athens expected to reach temperatures of 41 degrees this week, Martin understands the importance of taking an advantage to the ancient city for next week's return leg, whether they are fully ready or not.