Rangers travel to Belgium facing an almost impossible task. Trailing 3–1 from the first leg at Ibrox, Russell Martin’s side must attempt something no Rangers team has ever achieved: overturn a first-leg home defeat in European competition.
The ghosts of Ibrox loom large, five times in club history, Rangers have lost the opening game at home and gone on to be eliminated.
This is more than just a tie; it’s a test of authority, belief, and survival. Martin’s men must defy history, silence the critics, and spark a comeback that would be as historic as it is improbable.
Brugge, disciplined and experienced, know how to protect a lead and exploit mistakes, making Rangers’ task even more daunting. On paper, the odds are stacked, but football has a habit of producing miracles when history and pride collide.
We have all the info for Wednesday’s historic task:
When is Club Brugge vs Rangers?
Rangers travel to Athens for their second leg against the Greek side on Wednesday 27th August at 8pm GMT.
The game will be played at the Jan Breydel Stadium, in Sint-Andries, Bruges, Belgium.
Is Club Brugge vs Rangers on TV and will I be able to live stream the Champions League playoff decider?
TNT Sports have the broadcasting rights for the fixture. The match will be shown live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage beginning at 7.30pm GMT.
Rangers TV will also be showing the match visually and via audio for those out with the UK who are subscribed.
BBC Sportsound will provide commentary of the match from 7pm GMT.
The BBC will also provide text commentary updates via their website.
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Team News
Rangers remain without the long-term injured Dujon Sterling, along with Rabbi Matondo, both unregistered in the squad due to their injury status.
Hamza Igamane is unlikely to feature ahead of his move away from Ibrox, he refused to come on vs St Mirren on Sunday and is likely to be removed from the European squad ahead of the fixture
Cyriel Dessers also remains a doubt for the match after injuring himself away to Viktoria Plzen in the second leg of the previous round.
Oscar Cortes, Nedim Bajrami and Clinton Nsiala are all unregistered and unavailable. Rangers can make a change to the squad ahead of the second leg.
Goal scorer Romeo Vermant is a doubt for the hosts with a muscle injury.
Who is the referee for Club Brugge vs Rangers this week?
The referee for the second leg will be a German team of referee Felix Zwayer, assisted by Robert Kempter and Christian Dietz, with Florian Badstübner operating as the fourth official.
The VAR team are also German, with Christian Dingert assisted by Johann Pfeifer .
This will be the first time this experienced German referee takes charge of a Rangers match on the field, he previously served as VAR during the 4-3 win over Antwerp in February 2021 and officiated last season’s UEFA Europa League final.
Last season he issued 186 yellow cards and 6 reds across 38 games, and so far this season he handed out 9 yellows in his only Bundesliga fixture.
Swedish national Per Eliasson will be the UEFA delegate.
Referee: Felix Zwayer
AR1: Robert Kempter
AR2: Christian Dietz
Fourth Official: Florian Badstübner
VAR: Christian Dingert
AVAR: Johann Pfeifer