Report – Rangers could play one-off Europa League qualifiers under new UEFA plans
Rangers could be forced into playing one-off qualification matches at neutral venues for next season’s Europa League under new plans from UEFA, according to the Scottish Sun.
It is understood that the European football governing body are exploring ways in which they can condense their usual schedule down to give both the Europa League and the Champions League as much chance of happening as possible next term.
The ongoing Coronavirus pandemic has thrown the professional game into disarray, with little certainty as to when clubs will be able to return to action.
Moreover, travel restrictions and enforced periods of quarantine, such as the one announced by the British government over the weekend, could play further havoc with continental fixtures.
Both France and the Netherlands have also stated that they have no intention of resuming on-field action until at least September.
Things are complicated even further by UEFA’s desire to complete this season’s competitions, although they have set themselves a deadline of late August to conclude any remaining matches.
The report also suggested that another option on the table is the scrapping of qualification rounds altogether – although there is no clear indication just yet as to what that would mean for Scottish clubs.
A decision on the matter is expected to be made during a teleconference on May 27th.
What would this mean for Rangers?
At the moment, it’s hard to say for definite, but it feels as if this could be something of a double-edged sword.
On the one hand, we all know that those early stages of Europa League qualification can be absolutely gruelling.
This season, Steven Gerrard’s men had faced trips to Gibraltar, Luxembourg, Denmark, and Poland before we had even reached the end of August.
Eradicating that travel, especially under the current circumstances would probably be quite a positive thing for the Gers.
But that being said, playing one-off matches at neutral venues is likely to throw up some unexpected results.
Speaking to Sky Sports News recently, Paul Merson even went as far as to suggest that matches played in empty stadiums could lead to “shocking” results for some teams.
For a team like Rangers, who you would expect to advance through qualification, that could be a concern.
Only time will tell how this one pans out, and given the current obstacles European football faces, finding any kind of resolution will be a difficult task, but this disruption could have major implications for the Gers.
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