Rangers to face Ajax, Liverpool, Napoli in Champions League group stage

Scottish giants Rangers will test their mettle against Ajax, Liverpool and Napoli in the 2022-23 Champions League group stage.

The Gers are back in the big time for the first time in 12 years after securing a 3-2 aggregate victory against PSV Eindhoven in the playoff round.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst's men, who were seeded in Pot 4, will prepare for a series of challenging fixtures in Group A, including two encounter against Dutch giants and four-time European Cup winners Ajax, with defender Calvin Bassey set to face his former club following his club-record sale earlier this summer.

Last season's Europa League finalists will also lock horns with Premier League juggernauts Liverpool who have won the Champions League six times in their history and have never previously faced the Gers in a competitive fixture.

Rangers will also come up against Italian outfit Napoli, who finished third in Serie A last season and are returning to the Champions League after a two-year absence.

Elsewhere, Glaswegian rivals Celtic have been drawn in Group F along with Champions League holders Real Madrid, RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk, while Premier League champions Manchester City will face Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund and Copenhagen in Group G.

Chelsea will come up against AC Milan, Red Bull Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb in Group E, while Tottenham Hotspur have been drawn in Group D with Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt, Sporting Lisbon and Marseille.

Rangers avoided facing a group of death in Group C, which will see Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Inter Milan face off along with minnows Viktoria Plzen.

The first group-stage fixtures for this year's competition are scheduled to take place on September 6/7.

2022-23 Champions League group-stage draw in full:

Group A: Ajax, Liverpool, Napoli, Rangers
Group B: Porto, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Club Brugge
Group C: Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Viktoria Plzen
Group D: Eintracht Frankfurt, Tottenham Hotspur, Sporting Lisbon, Marseille
Group E: AC Milan, Chelsea, Red Bull Salzburg, Dinamo Zagreb
Group F: Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk, Celtic
Group G: Manchester City, Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund, Copenhagen
Group H: Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Benfica, Maccabi Haifa