McInnes braces Dons for tough Burnley test

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes reckons the Dons have been handed the toughest possible Europa League test after being drawn against Burnley.

The Dons will take on the Clarets at Pittodrie on July 26 before McInnes’s men travel to Turf Moor on August 2.

Sean Dyche’s Burnley are playing in European football for the first time in 51 years after finishing seventh in the English Premier League last season.

McInnes said: “It is as tough a game as we could have probably got.

“When you saw the pot we were going to be involved in, we knew we were in for a tough game regardless of who we got.

“It is a stand-out fixture and you can’t help but be excited by the prospect.

“The players and the supporters will see it as a great opportunity to go and take on a team such as Burnley.

“In an ideal world we would play that level of team further down the line.

“Burnley will be firm favourites to get to the group stages, never mind this tie.

“But it is still a game we will relish and look forward to when it comes around. It will be two sell-outs and there will be a lot of coverage leading up to both games.

“It is exciting to be involved in that but, in terms of trying to progress to the group stages, it is as tough a game as we could have got.” Steven Gerrard will kick-off his Rangers reign with an opening Europa League qualifier against FK Shkupi.

The former Liverpool and England skipper will take his first steps in senior management when Gers host the Macedonian minnows at Ibrox on July 12.

Shkupi, based in the capital Skopje, finished fourth in last season’s Macedonian First League as they qualified for Europe for the first time.

The Light Blues will make the return trip to their 6,000-capcity Cair Stadium on July 19 as they begin what they hope are four qualifying rounds on the way to the group stages.

Ladbrokes Premiership rivals Hibernian face a trip to the Faroe Islands after they landed NSI Runavik in their Europa League opener, with the first leg set for Easter Road.