Fenerbahçe to face Rangers in Europa League last 16 after 24 years
Baku, February 21, AZERTAC
Fenerbahçe will face Scottish side Rangers in the UEFA Europa League last 16, marking their first meeting since the 2001-02 Champions League qualifiers, according to the Daily Sabah.
Back then, the Turkish giants eliminated Rangers to reach the group stage.
Now, 24 years later, the two clubs prepare to clash again on European soil.
The draw, held in Nyon, Switzerland, paired Fenerbahçe – who secured their spot by eliminating Anderlecht – with a Rangers side that finished eighth in the newly structured league phase, earning a direct berth in the round of 16.
The Yellow Canaries ended their campaign in 24th place with 10 points, while Rangers collected 14 from eight matches.
Jose Mourinho’s men will host the first leg at Kadıköy on March 6, before traveling to Scotland for the return fixture on March 13.
Should Fenerbahçe advance, they will face the winner of Roma vs. Athletic Bilbao in the quarterfinals, again starting at home.
Meanwhile, Rangers’ campaign began in the Champions League third qualifying round, where they fell to Dynamo Kyiv, dropping into the Europa League.
Their group stage run included victories over Malmo, FCSB, Nice, and Union Saint-Gilloise, while earning draws against Olympiakos and Tottenham.
However, losses to Lyon and Manchester United kept them from a higher seeding. In eight matches, they netted 16 goals and conceded 10.
Czech forward Vaclav Cerny and Moroccan attacker Igmane Hamza have been key, each scoring four goals in the competition.
Fenerbahçe’s last battle with a Scottish club came in the 2015-16 Europa League group stage, where they played two draws against Celtic.
Now, they look to break the deadlock and establish dominance over Rangers.
Full Europa League last-16 draw:
Viktoria Plzen (CZE) vs. Lazio (ITA)
Bodo/Glimt (NOR) vs. Olympiakos (GRE)
Ajax (NED) vs. Eintracht Frankfurt (GER)
AZ Alkmaar (NED) vs. Tottenham (ENG)
Real Sociedad (ESP) vs. Manchester United (ENG)
FCSB (ROU) vs. Lyon (FRA)
Fenerbahçe (TUR) vs. Rangers (SCO)
Roma (ITA) vs. Athletic Bilbao (ESP)
