“I’AM LEAVING” Midfielder Todd Cantwell has announced that he is leaving the Rangers FC due to…..
Philippe Clement’s men won only four of their last 10 league matches and then lost the Scottish Cup final to their bitter foes from across the Glasgow divide, so a fast start was desired this season.
However, after losing three of four pre-season fixtures – to Ajax, Manchester United and Birmingham City – the Light Blues travelled to Tynecastle for their first game of the 2024-25 Premiership on Saturday.
Hearts held firm for a goalless draw in the Scottish capital, and ahead of an upcoming home game against Motherwell, Rangers must meet Dynamo Kiev in the Polish city of Lublin, hoping to avoid another setback to hopes of a successful campaign.
Last season, they managed one win from four Europa League contests away from Ibrox before exiting to Benfica in the last 16; now, they will aim to stay in contention for a precious Champions League playoff by frustrating their third-round hosts.
While Rangers were in domestic action at the weekend, Dynamo Kiev were spared participation in the Ukrainian Premier League’s opening matchday and should arrive fresh-legged in Lubin, where they will play due to the ongoing war in their home nation.
Dynamo finished second in the top flight last season, narrowly missing out on their first title since 2021 as they came in just two points adrift of champions Shakhtar Donetsk and automatically qualified for the Champions League’s preliminary rounds.
Entering at the second stage, with an apparently tough tie versus Partizan Belgrade, Mykola Shaparenko, Volodymyr Brazhko and Oleksandr Karavaev all scored during a four-minute salvo just before half time in a staggering 6-2 first-leg win that effectively put them through after one game.
Adding three more away from home, with veteran striker Andriy Yarmolenko joining Vladyslav Vanat and Karavaev on the scoresheet in the second leg, produced an aggregate result that will further build confidence following a largely successful pre-season.
Dynamo’s most recent attempt at qualifying for Europe’s elite competition saw them thumped 5-0 by Benfica in the 2022 playoffs, and they then failed to reach the Europa Conference League proper in 2023, going out to Besiktas.
