The final Europa League qualifying matches are underway, and tomorrow Chelsea will learn where they will start their European campaign. Rennes and Rangers would make for a friendly draw, while Real Betis and AC Milan could spell serious trouble.
The Blues are back in Europe’s second-tier competition, just as UEFA is toying with the idea of adding a third tier. Here are a few possibilities for Chelsea’s draw and how the Blues could fare against some of the more well-known competition.
1. Rennes: Close to home and not overly threatening
When it comes to the Europa League, the proximity of an opponent can be just as important as the quality. Other than the Scottish clubs, Chelsea couldn’t do much better than to draw against a French side.
The two potential group-mates for Chelsea would be Rennes and Marseille. Marseille finished fourth in Ligue 1 and were Europa League finalists last year, losing to Atletico Madrid, so it would be nice to avoid them if at all possible.
Rennes would be a much kinder draw. While they achieved an admirable fifth place finish in the league last season, they were a full 19 points behind Marseille. Their squad is mostly unchanged from last season, with the exception of the highly-promising Joris Gnagnon departing for Sevilla, and Wahbi Khazri returning to Sunderland after a one-year loan spell at Rennes.
Suffice to say, Chelsea could do worse than being drawn against a relatively nearby side who have most likely declined talent-wise from last season.
2. Rangers: Don’t let this chance slip away
Some will prefer to take on Brendan Rodgers and his Celtic side, but if Chelsea are going to make the quick jaunt up to Glasgow, it would be much more fun to go up against Steven Gerrard’s Rangers.
Rangers’ swift fall from grace has been well-documented over the past few years, but they have finally clawed their way back towards relevancy, at least within Scotland. This summer, their splashiest acquisition was none other than Liverpool legend and zero-time Premier League champion Steven Gerrard. While Gerrard would likely be the greatest player to ever take the field for Rangers, even at 38, he will be confined to the touchline, having been appointed manager in June.
Even in retirement, his career continues to be a bizarro-world mirroring of Frank Lampard’s. While Gerrard’s appointment is a great marketing tool for a club trying to rise like a phoenix from the dumpster-fire they’ve been for the last decade, they still aren’t a good team yet.
A bad team that’s nearby is always a great draw, so fingers crossed that Chelsea will bear witness to Gerrard slipping up (sorry, had to) at the Ibrox this season.