Inter incentive for Rangers
● Quarter-final draw throws up possibility of clash with Milan giants or Getafe – but only if they can retrieve tie v Leverkusen
Rangers have been handed the massive incentive of a potential glamour tie against Inter Milan if they can beat Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League.
It is still a huge task for Steven Gerrard’s men, who lost 3-1 at Ibrox in the first leg of the last-16 clash with the Germans – the last match to be played in Scotland before lockdown.
Yesterday’s draw paired Rangers or Leverkusen, who will meet again on 5 or 6 August, with the winners of a one-off match between Getafe of Spain and Inter.
Rangers will face either Inter Milan or Spanish side Getafe in the Europa League quarterfinal if they can defeat Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16.
The Ibrox side trail 3-1 from the first leg and face a tough task in the return match in the Bayarena next month. But the prize for the victors is an attractive one.
The quarter-final tie will be a one-legged affair and will take place in neutral Germany. Duisburg, Dusseldorf, Gelsenkirchen and Cologne will be the host venues for the Europa League from the lasteight onwards, with the latter city hosting the final.
Leverkusen impressed in March’s first leg at Ibrox, which was the last competitive match involving a Scottish side to take place before the coronavirus lockdown.
The second leg will be played behind closed doors on 5 or 6 August. Getafe’s last-16 tie with Inter will take place as a oneoff match.
Inter, managed by former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, are currently fourth in Serie A. They have played Rangers twice before in continental competition, winning 3-2 on aggregate in a tightly contested European Cup quarter-final in 1965, the year the Milan side lifted the trophy for the second time in a row. The sides met again in the second round of the Uefa Cup in season 1984-85.
Rangers won the first leg 3-1 at Ibrox but lost 3-0 in the return.
Getafe, who are sixth in La Liga, have not met Rangers before.
Inter, Getafe, Rangers or Leverkusen will meet Wolfsburg, Shakhtar Donetsk, Eintracht Frankfurt or FC Basel in the one-legged semi-finals on 16 or 17 August, with the final on 21 August.
Rangers are scheduled to begin their Scottish Premiership campaign against Aberdeenatpittodrieon1august after the 2019-20 campaign was curtailed because of Covid-19. Leverkusen resumed their interrupted Bundesliga campaign in May and finished fifth. Rangers returned to action yesterday and Steven Gerrard was pleased to see his players blow off the cobwebs with a behind-closed-doors win over Hamilton at the Rangers Training Centre.
Defender Calvin Bassey – the new signing from Leicester, pictured inset – scored in a 2-1 win for Rangers, with Colombia striker Alfredo Morelos netting a late penalty, and everyone in Gerrard’s squad enjoyed some game time apart from Steven Davis, Ryan Jack, Allan Mcgregor,
Filip Helander and Nathan Patterson, who were all nursing minor knocks.
The Ibrox manager told Rangers TV: “It is a long time not to play football, so the first game back you are always looking at what you got out of it and we got some real valuable minutes into the players legs.
“It was a really good workout. I thought Hamilton very professional and made us work for the win.”