Rangers will have to play the return leg of a potential £ 30million Champions League showdown just days before facing Celtic in the first Old Firm derby of the season.

Ibrox’s squad harbor heady ambitions of being part of the European elite competition for the first time in eleven years and having a third-round qualifying match to sail in early August to even reach the playoffs.

Our @spfl 2021/22 calendars

Click below to see the full list of fixtures 👇

– Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) June 15, 2021

But should the Rangers – who are seeded for the third round – advance to the second leg playoffs on the 25th?^e August is only a few days before the club host Celtic at Ibrox on the 28^e.

Celtic have their own ambitions to qualify for the Champions League, but heading down the non-Champions path faces a much more difficult task.

Our Old Firm rivals could also compete in a Europa League playoff if they fail to make it through the Champions League third qualifying round.

This means that both teams will make every effort to qualify for European competition as a vital Scottish Premiership campaign kicks off.

This year’s title winner will get automatic entry into next season’s Champions League to provide additional incentive ahead of the new campaign.

In what promises to be a busy August, here are the Rangers’ encounters at the start of the season:

• Saturday 07/31/2021 1:30 PM Livingston H (Scottish Premiership)
• Tue / Wed 03-04 / 08/2021 to be confirmed (first leg of the qualifiers of the third round of the Champions League)
• Saturday 07/08/2021 3:00 PM Dundee United A (Scottish Premiership)
• Tue 10/08/2021 to be confirmed (second leg of the qualifiers of the third round of the Champions League)
• Saturday 14/08/2021 TBS (Second round of the Coupe de la Ligue)
• tue / wed 17-18 / 08/2021 to be confirmed (first leg of the Champions League qualifiers)
• Saturday 8/21/2021 3:00 PM Ross County A (Scottish Premiership)
• tue / wed 24-25 / 08/2021 to be confirmed (return leg of the Champions League qualifiers)
• Saturday 08/28/2021 3:00 PM Celtic H (Scottish Premiership)

See all of the club’s Scottish Premiership games HERE.

The confirmed dates of the old company are as follows:

• Saturday 08/28/2021 3:00 PM Celtic H
• Sunday 01/02/2022 3:00 PM Celtic A
• Saturday 04/02/2022 3:00 PM Celtic H

The Rangers are certainly used to those high intensity starts to the season with those nine games crammed into four games, nothing new for Steven Gerrard’s charges.

Qualifying for the Champions League is worth £ 30million to qualified Scottish clubs and Gers are enjoying the financial and prestigious rewards attached to the competition.

The Rangers also received a heavy blow ahead of qualifying, with two key players guaranteed to miss all or part of the qualifying campaign.