Last season, Dynamo Kyiv were inches away from booking themselves a spot in the Champions League, thumping Partizan 9-2 on aggregate before seeing off Rangers 3-1 in the third qualifying round. Although RB Salzburg proved a tie too far, Dynamo Kyiv’s lengthy European pedigree should help them dispatch Ħamrun Spartans FC comfortably.

The Ukrainian champions will face off with Maltese outfit, Ħamrun Spartans. The hosts made it to this stage by the skin of their teeth, winning 11-10 on penalties against FK Žalgiris in the first qualifying round. In the two previous seasons, Hamrun had participated in four UCL qualifiers and six UECL qualifiers, recording six losses, a draw, and three wins. Across those games, Ħamrun Spartans scored seven and conceded 18.

There’s an apparent gulf in class between these two sides, with Slovan Bratislava entering as dominant favourites. The Slovak champions are fresh off claiming their 7th straight domestic title, underlining a level of consistency and quality that Zrinjski have struggled to match.

Bratislava impressed at this stage of the competition last year, going unbeaten with five wins and three draws to earn qualification. However, they were found wanting beyond that point, losing all eight matches that followed.

Having consistently featured in European football for some time now, Slovan Bratislava are ranked as Europe’s 65th best side according to the UEFA classification. Their opponents, Zrinjski, are positioned in 152nd.

The Bosnian champions did rack up an impressive 82 points en route to topping their league last season, but their form on the continental stage has been patchy at best. They lost four of six UECL qualifiers last term, and the year before, they managed just two wins from eight UCL and UEL qualifiers. They then collected only four points from six games in the UECL group stage.

Although Rangers’ 2nd-place finish in the Scottish Premiership certainly wasn’t what they had in mind ahead of last season, they impressed in the Europa League, securing a top-8 position and thus progressing directly into the knockout stages.

Panathinaikos, by contrast, failed to progress beyond the Qualifiers, exiting in the 2nd round at the hands of Ajax. When confronted with matches against established European sides, they struggled in the UECL, losing to Lens, Chelsea, and Fiorentina, among others.

With Russell Martin at the helm, Rangers will hope to dramatically improve their defensive record from last season. With their summer transfer tally up to seven, including the likes of Max Aarons and Nasser Djiga on loan, they look primed to achieve just that.