Rangers are 'dream' Champions League opponents but upstarts pay Michael Beale a major compliment

Serbian side FK TSC rarely get to play on the big stage in Europe - so when they do, president Janos Zemberi looks out for the big clubs. Namely for him, that means Rangers.

TSC have naturally finished behind giant duo Red Star Belgrade and Partizan Belgrade throughout their history, though last season sprung up a surprise when they finished second in the league - which was enough to allow for qualification to the Champions League third qualifying round.

It’s not often they qualify for Europe at all; only twice have the Serbian minnows played in any European game, beating Moldovan side Petrocub Hincesti before losing on penalties to Steaua Bucharest in the qualifying rounds of the Europa League back in 2020-21. Now, with the chance to face some of Europe’s elite, the club must enjoy the result regardless of a famous win or heavy defeat.

And, with the draw set to take place at the end of July, president Zemberi has named his ideal opponent - citing Rangers as the team he wishes to face. He said: "If I could choose my dream opponents in the draw, it would be to play against Rangers.

"My good friend Gordan Petric used to play there and I like everything that Rangers stand for and the values they have. I am a fan of the club and Glasgow is a nice city.

"Rangers are stronger than Marseille, PSV Eindhoven or Braga, who we could also play. But with a few reinforcements and the motivation we have, I am confident we would have a chance.

"And let's not forget Celtic have faltered many times at this stage of the competition, so who knows, maybe we can create a surprise. Look, we have a budget that's ten times smaller than Red Star Belgrade and five times smaller than Partizan Belgrade, so we are used to playing teams with