It will be the second season in succession where Gers will begin their European campaign against a club from the British overseas territory, having defeated St Joseph’s 4-0 there last July as part of a 10-0 aggregate victory.
Red Imps qualified for this season’s competition after being in third position when the Gibraltar National League was declared null and void due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
They play their matches at the unique Victoria Stadium – the same as St Joseph’s – with the Gibraltar Airport runway a few hundred yards behind one goal, and a stunning view of the Rock of Gibraltar behind the other.
They are by far the most successful club in Gibraltar, having won five out of the six completed league championships since it became affiliated to UEFA back in 2013.
So far in this season’s competition, they were awarded a 3-0 win over Pristina in the preliminary round following a Covid issue with their opponents before beating Union Titus Petange of Luxembourg 2-0 in the first qualifying round proper.
Gers, meanwhile, come in one round later than they have in the last two years, with all qualifying games this year being played as a single-legged tie. They will very much be hoping to build on their performances of the last two years where they earned group stage football for the first time in seven years in 2018/19, before superbly pushing on last year, being the first team to make it from the first qualifying round all the way to the Last 16.
Rangers will find out their potential opponents for the third qualifying round (of course, if they are successful against Red Imps) tomorrow.
The tie is scheduled to take place on Thursday, September 17, although that is subject to final confirmation from UEFA. The kick-off time and broadcast details will also follow in due course.
This match, along with all other qualifying ties this year, are being played behind closed-doors.