Rangers, Marseille set sights on Champions League as Faroese dream
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Rangers and Marseille launch their bids to qualify for the Champions League group stage this week as rank outsiders KI Klaksvik of the Faroe Islands attempt to prolong their fairytale adventure.
Former European champions PSV Eindhoven also enter the competition in the third qualifying round, with six slots still to be filled in what will be the final season with 32 clubs in the group phase.
The winners of the 10 ties advance to the play-off round, for which the pairings will be drawn on Monday. Belgian champions Antwerp and Swiss champions Young Boys join before the final hurdle.
Rangers endured a miserable return to the Champions League's elite last year, finishing without a single point in their first group stage campaign since 2010.
Michael Beale's side began the new Scottish season with a surprise 1-0 loss at Kilmarnock, underlining the size of the task ahead as they prepare to host Swiss side Servette on Wednesday.
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Football«It's bitterly disappointing for the players and staff but ultimately for the fans who have been excited in the summer, so there's a bit of realism in the air with that result,» said Beale.
«There's a lot of work to do moving forward but we'll bounce back.»
Marseille also finished bottom of their Champions League section last term. An abject run at the end of the season cost them a shot at automatic qualification and saw coach Igor Tudor depart.
Marcelino is Marseille's seventh full-time coach in eight years and the club have been busy in the transfer market, bringing in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Geoffrey Kondogbia and Ismaila Sarr.
«It's an ambitious
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