Rangers handed Europa League first qualifying round tie with FK Shkupi

Steven Gerrard will launch his competitive managerial career at home when his Ranger side – currently in the process of a major overhaul – take on FK Shkupi of Macedonia in the Europa League at Ibrox on July 12. Shkupi, who are based in Skopje, finished fourth in the Macedonian First Division and are competing in Europe for the first time.

On the face of it, they should not present a significant obstacle to Gerrard and his players but the former Liverpool and England captain has only to look back a year to be warned that hazards exist even at this embryonic stage of the competition. Last summer Rangers suffered the worst European result in their history when, under Pedro Caixinha, they were beaten by Progres Niederkorn, of Luxembourg despite winning 1-0 in the first leg at Ibrox.

Although the allure of watching the first appearance of Gerrard’s Rangers will attract a crowd of close to the Ibrox capacity of 50,817, far fewer travelling supporters will be able to travel to the second leg in Macedonia on July 19. Shkupi’s Cair Stadium can accommodate just 6,000 spectators, of whom only 2,000 can be seated.

Gerrard and his squad are in Spain for pre-season training and the manager has declared that his priority is to see an improvement in fitness levels.

Meanwhile, Neil Lennon’s Hibernian were also in the draw for the first qualifying round of the Europa League and will begin by meeting NSI Runavik of the Faroe Islands at Easter Road on July 12, before heading north for the return on July 19.

Runavik have made 11 appearances in European competition and have yet to record an aggregate win although, like Shkupi, the islanders can draw inspiration from Progres Niederkorn, who were in the same situation until they accounted for Rangers.