Rangers

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Rangers will face the winners of the tie between Red Bull Salzburg of Austria or Twente of Netherlands in the Champions League play-off round.

Salzburg were Swiss Super League runners-up last season, while Twente finished third in the Eredivisie.

Philippe Clement's side must first overcome Dynamo Kyiv, with the first leg being played in Poland on Tuesday.

Should they progress, the final round of qualifying would be played either 20 or 21 August, with the second leg the following week on either the 27 or 28 August.

Former Rangers forward Sam Lammers joined Twente last week, with the Dutch side managed by Joseph Oosting.

FC Salzburg are managed by Pep Lijinders, Jurgen Klopp's former assistant at Liverpool.

Watch the best of the action as both sides are denied by the woodwork in the goalless draw between Hearts and Rangers on Premiership opening day. (Available to UK users only)

We asked for your views after Rangers opened the Premiership season with a goalless draw at Hearts.

Here's what some of you said:

Alex: James Tavernier and Philippe Clement (even though he's signed a contract extension) will be out of Ibrox by January. Tavernier is a liability in the team and he should be shown the door. He's done very well for Rangers but he's past it now. Clement in my opinion still doesn't understand what a manager for Rangers has to do, win matches, you don't get time at Rangers.

Jim: A draw with Hearts is points lost and not a fair result as the manager said. We need strikers and to be ruthless against teams or else we will struggle this season.

Alexander: This was the start of a new season, we got same old tired team with the same old tired excuses. I saw nothing that gives me confidence for the season. Defence easily played through, Cyriel Dessers couldn't finish a bag of crisps, our legacy will be lost.

Anon: The fact Scott Wright started the game shows how far Rangers still need to go. He is a symbol of the mediocrity of the squad in the last few years. We can't expect a positive result with that sort of quality on the pitch.

Tom: Fed up listening to the negativity around the club. Let's see where we are at the end of the season. A good performance by Hearts, other teams will lose points there.

JJ: Exactly how I thought we'd play with only one different player from last season. There will be no Champions League qualification and if we win a cup it will be a miracle.

James: We appear to have accepted being second best. Poor recruitment, a board that are clueless and a complete lack of ambition. Being happy to get one point against Hearts is not good enough. We have one very difficult season ahead.

Former Scotland midfielder John Fleck is dreaming of a return to Rangers after the 32-year-old was given training facilities by the Ibrox club following his departure from Blackburn Rovers. (Sunday Mail), external

Rangers retain interest in Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland and Plymouth Argyle winger Morgan Whittaker but must sell players to fund any potential new deals. (Football Insider), external

Read the rest of Sunday's Scottish gossip.

Rangers fans, what did you make of that opening day draw with Hearts? How are you feeling about the rest of the season? What did you make of the team selection?

Give us your thoughts here, external.

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Rangers manager Philippe Clement thinks the draw with Hearts that opened the Scottish Premiership season at Tynecastle shows his team are still a work in progress.

"I'm never content with a point because I always want to win, but it's a fair result in the end," he tells BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound.

"We didn't play a good first half, for sure first half hour. After, we reacted well after we spoke about things at half time, it was a much better second half and the team needs to recognise things on the pitch faster.

"But that's normal in the rebuild we are doing and you see in the second half we play more our normal game, but then you need to finish the chances also.

"I expected some to the braver in the first half hour in the duels and on the ball and it clearly was not good enough.

"Hearts have a good squad and are competitive. We knew it was a hard place to come.

"We were the team who were pressing for a result at the end of the game."

Image source, SNS

Clive Lindsay, BBC Scotland Sport

Rangers manager Philippe Clement has been at pains to stress that his squad is in the midst of a major rebuild, despite that lack of new signings in the starting line-up for the 0-0 draw with Hearts at Tynecastle.

Connor Barron, the 21-year-old former Aberdeen midfielder, did not look out of place on his debut and Czech Republic winger Vaclav Cerny showed promise in a late cameo.

Clement will hope for more additions to come and, despite the loss of two points, will be happy to escape without a defeat that would have been even more damaging to their title hopes - and morale - even this early in the season.

Indeed, Rangers were the last team to win at Tynecastle - in December - an indication that points are not easy to come by in Gorgie and the Belgian will prefer to stress the positives.

Read Hearts 0-0 Rangers match report in full here.

Connor Barron makes his first competitive start for Rangers as the new season opens at Tynecastle.

Of course, the former Aberdeen midfielder is no stranger to the cut and thrust of the Premiership.

Winger Oscar Cortes, who extended his loan in the summer, gets his first Premiership minutes since February.

Robin Propper is not included, but fellow new signings Liam Kelly, Vaclav Cerny and Jefte are on the bench.

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Heart of Midlothian: Clark, Taylor, Kent, Rowles, Penrice, Devlin, Grant, McKay, Dhanda, Vargas, Shankland.

Substitutes: Gordon, Kingsley, Halkett, Oyegoke, Oda, Spittal, Forrest, Boateng, Boyce.

Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Souttar, Davies, Yilmaz, Barron, Diomande, Lawrence, Cortes, Wright, Dessers.

Substitutes: Kelly, Matondo, Cerny, Dowell, Jefte, Balogun, King, McKinnon, Danilo.

Rangers remain interested in striker Tyrese Campbell but the free agent is continuing to hold talks with a number of Championship clubs, with Swansea City the latest to show an interest. (Darren Witcoop on X), external

Rangers were able to snap up Robin Propper for just £1.5m with only hours to spare because of a special clause in the defender's contract, Twente Enschede chief Arnold Bruggink has revealed. (The National), external

Read the rest of Saturday's Scottish gossip.

Image source, Getty Images

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Vaclav Cerny is aware of the pressure placed upon Rangers players, but insists he has "no problem" dealing with expectations.

Cerny is one of nine new summer signings boss Philippe Clement has brought in to Ibrox ahead of the new season.

"You could compare it to Ajax in terms of expectations, pressure and crowd," the Czech Republic international told the press.

"It was also something I really wanted to experience again. I am expecting this to be on a higher level than Amsterdam.

"I’m a person puts expectations high and demands the most from myself, so I have no problem of people expecting it from us or myself."

Cerny arrives off the back of the European Championships, appearing once in a 1-1 group stage draw versus Georgia, and admits he is likely not ready to start yet.

"After the Euros I had a nice little break but I couldn’t wait to come here, to get started with everyone. I don’t think I’m able to start yet but I’m definitely ready to help.

"I had a few trainings with the lads and everybody welcomed me well, and made me feel comfortable from day one. I just can’t wait to get on the pitch and be helpful for this club."

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Philippe Clement pleaded patience ahead of the start of the new season, with the manager saying it might take a few months for his new squad to bed in.

Clement has been rebuilding his squad, with experienced players Connor Goldson, Ryan Jack, Borna Barisic, John Lundstram, Sam Lammers and Kemar Roofe among the summer departures.

Connor Barron, Vaclav Cerny, Jefte, Clinton Nsiala and Robin Propper are among the new players recruited so far in the summer window.

"I'm 200% sure we're going to be much better in October and November, December and the months coming after," Clement said.

"It's a squad with a lot of potential, more potential than there was last season.

"We're not there yet. The way we want to play, it's in a structured way - with the ball and without the ball."

Rangers kick off their Premiership campaign away to Hearts on Saturday at 12:30 BST. You can read more of his thoughts here.

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Philippe Clement has been speaking to the media ahead of Rangers' opening league match against Hearts tomorrow, here are the key points:

• On signing his new contract the Rangers manager says it became clear everyone at the club was aligning in their thoughts on how things could improve across all fronts. He says he loves the club, and "he feels good here".

• The Rangers manager believes you won’t see the best of his new look squad until a couple of months into the season but says it’s a “club with more potential than last season.”

• Says “patience will be needed” as a result. Some players will settle quickly others will take longer.

• On latest signing Robin Propper, Clement says he’s an experienced player who will "bring leadership" and "coaching qualities on the pitch" but doesn’t know if he can play tomorrow as all the paperwork isn't quite finalised.

• Wouldn’t be drawn if he wants to bring in more experienced players like Propper but says the cub need to be "inventive" regarding the players they bring in but it all depends on budget.

• Admits he’d like to reduce the amount of loan players over time being brought into the club.

• On players potentially leaving, and with specific regard to James Tavernier, he says he’s not heard if there are any bids for the player but admits he's training well and that shows him that he wants to play here.

Rangers fans, we asked for your views after Philippe Clement penned a new contract.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Maisie: I think this is brilliant for the club. Clement seems to know what he’s doing and is repairing the mess that has been made by his predecessor.

Robert: This is a decision that exudes trust and confidence for both the manager and the club. The manager is working towards his own team, so the club have given him the time. Excellent all round.

Billy: Although Rangers fell short in the heat of the title race, I believe that Clement is the man to improve the club overall. In reality we’re probably a couple of seasons away from seriously challenging.

Phil: On first impressions he seemed like a breath of fresh air but both the performance and style of play in the latter end of the season was not what was required of a Rangers team or manager. What I have witnessed in pre-season does not fill me with confidence going forward.

Joe: I'm delighted that Clement is committing himself to Rangers until 2028. The rebuild of this team will take more than one season, so the fans will have to show a lot of patience in the meantime.

Dougie: There are many issues at Ibrox, however, they are all due to historical poor management. Clement has proven to be a good manager thus far and him staying can only be good news. It will take another season to sort the mess of previous poor decisions.

Craig: So much upheaval with players, again! My expectations are quite low for the first few games as there is so little to build on. The start of the season will depend heavily on whatever planning or motivation Clement can instil game to game.

Steve: It’s about time the board and the fans committed to a manager long term. Turning Rangers' fortunes around on the field is definitely a long-term project and while short-term pain is very frustrating for all fans, it will be needed to deliver long-term gain. Criticism is acceptable as long as it’s constructive not destructive.

Brian: I'm delighted with this news. The manager realises the scale of the task in front of him and the fans will be required to be patient as he tries to build a squad that in the first instance is capable of challenging Celtic. This season, in particular, may be difficult.

Andy Campbell
BBC Sport Scotland

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While status quo has been the main headline from Glasgow's east, on the south side, it's been one of change - slow change.

Rangers ended last season second in the Premiership by eight points and beaten by champions Celtic in the Scottish Cup final, but with the League Cup having been won in the winter.

Within weeks, a quintet of experienced players left under freedom of contract and now Sam Lammers and Connor Goldson have been sold.

In has come a youthful group of signings along with experienced winger Vaclav Cerny and defender Robin Propper.

Manager Philippe Clement has voiced concern over transfer limitations as he rebuilds but has just agreed a new contract himself.

The team he fields in Saturday's opener away to Hearts will have a different look to the one that finished last term and not just because of the comings and goings.

Midfielder Todd Cantwell wants to move on and has not been involved in recent pre-season games while question marks hover over captain James Tavernier's future.

Clement's predecessor, Michael Beale, oversaw a substantial overhaul of his own last year and lost his opening league game at Kilmarnock. Two league defeats and a Champions League exit later and the Englishman was sacked.

The Belgian could do without any early bumps as he finalises his squad for a testing campaign.