Who Rangers could get in Champions League as early projections prove Liverpool and Real Madrid are title prize

Their focus is on the Europa League this season - but Rangers know the real promised land lies a step above.

A 2022 run to the Europa League final was followed by a return to the Champions League group stages. It was a disapointing return of six defeats and out against Ajax, Liverpool and Napoli, with Philippe Clement hoping to be the man who can put that pain behind them.

Currently top of the Premiership, new projections from Football Rankings have included Rangers as part of their Champions League make-up for next term. The Scottish top dogs go straight into the groups and it's even more important this year, with the tournament revamping and moving away from group stage football.

UEFA state: "36 clubs will participate in the Champions League league phase (former group stage), giving four more sides the opportunity to compete against the best clubs in Europe. Those 36 clubs will participate in a single league competition in which all 36 competing clubs are ranked together.

"Under the new format, teams will play eight matches in the new league phase (former group stage). They will no longer play three opponents twice – home and away – but will instead face fixtures against eight different teams, playing half of those matches at home and half of them away.

"To determine the eight different opponents, the teams will initially be ranked in four seeding pots. Each team will then be drawn to play two opponents from each of these pots, playing one match against a team from each pot at home, and one away."

Pots no longer matter in terms of competitive advantage so Rangers could land a whole host of big names, although much can change between now and May. As of now, here's the type of challenges that may await Rangers if they get the title over the line and book their slot.