RANGERS will face Portugal's SC Braga in the last 32 of the Europa League after the draw for the knockout stages of the compeititon took place in Nyon, Switzerland today.

Steven Gerrard's side were unseeded after finishing second in Group G behind Porto and managed to avoid a tricky tie against the likes of Manchester United or Inter Milan.

Rangers fans will surely be optimistic about their side's chances ahead of the tie, but what exactly should they expect from their Portuguese opponents? Here's everything you need to know.

How did Braga reach the last 32?

Braga qualified for this year's tournament after a fourth-placed finish in last season's top flight and entered the qualifiers during the third round. A comfortable 7-3 victory over Brondby was secured before an aggregate 3-1 win over Spartak Moscow confirmed their spot in the group stages.

The Portuguese outfit were drawn in a group alongside Wolves, Slovan Bratislava and Besiktas and Ricardo Sa Pinto's performed impressively: after six matches, Braga won four and drew just two to top the group. A 1-0 win over Wolves at Molineux was the most eye-catching result, although back-to-back wins over Besiktas were also recorded.

How are they getting on domestically?

It's not exactly been a vintage campaign for Braga so far. With the Liga Nos approaching the halfway stage, Braga find themselves mired in mid-table in ninth place. Pinto's side have recorded just five wins out of 14 and have suffered defeats in their last two outings - away to bottom side Aves and at home to second-last Pacos Ferreira.

Braga finished the previous campaign 15 points clear of Vitoria SC in fifth and while they are currently off the pace, the club remain just five points behind Sporting CP in fourth place.

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Who are their key players?

Portuguese centre-forward Paulinho has six goals in nine starts in the Europa League so far this season - and five in the league - and is the biggest goal threat that Rangers will face, and Brazilian wide forward Galeno, 22, is another dangerous outlet in attack.

Former Chelsea goalkeeper Eduardo could start between the sticks after being given an extended run in the first team of late, while box-to-box midfielder Joao Novais has the ability to cause problems in midfield.

How much pedigree do Braga have?

The Portuguese side have enjoyed a fair bit of success in the Europa League in the past and their history suggests that Rangers could be in for a difficult tie. Braga reached the final in 2011, losing 1-0 to Porto, and reached the quarter-finals in 2016/16 before getting knocked out by Shakhtar Donetsk.

Last season, Braga failed to make it beyond the qualifiers when they were unceremoniously dumped out of the preliminary round by Ukraine's Zorya Luhansk and the Portuguese side last reached the last 32 in 2018 when they were eliminated by Marseille.

Braga have faced Scottish opposition on two previous occasions; they were beaten 5-3 on aggregate by Hearts in the UEFA Cup in 2004 and knocked Celtic out of the Champions League qualifiers in 2010.