Rangers could face Kaunas clash

Kaunas were knocked out by Liverpool in 2005

Rangers could face Kaunas - the side sponsored by Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov - in the second qualifying round of the Champions League.

Lithuanian champions Kaunas must first overcome Zeta of Montenegro in the opening round, the second leg of which is on 24 or 25 July.

Rangers, the Scottish Premier League runners-up, received a bye into the second round, where they were seeded.

Their first match will be 31 July or 1 August, with the return a week later.

"Kaunas are obviously known to us, they are owned by the same person as Hearts and a number of their players now play at Tynecastle," manager Walter Smith told the club website.

"So if the squad they have is at the same level as Hearts then we will have a difficult game.

"Zeta are more of an unknown quantity. They gained some experience in the Uefa Cup last season so will not be a bad side.

"The one advantage we have is that we can see both legs of the first round qualifier and compile dossiers on them that way."

Rangers have met the Lithuanian side once before in Champions League qualifying.

They won 4-1 at Ibrox in the second qualifying round in 2000 before a 0-0 draw in Lithuania.

Rangers' city rivals, Celtic, defeated Kaunas 4-0 away from home and 1-0 in Glasgow in 2003.

Zeta became their Montenegro's first-ever league champions by two points from overwhelming pre-season favourites Buducnost last season.

Both clubs were accused of "buying" games during the campaign.

Walter Smith's side were seeded for the second round

Zeta, based in the capital Podgorica, formerly participated in the Serbia and Montenegro First League, finishing third in 2005 behind Partizan Belgrade and Red Star Belgrade.

They were knocked out by Siroki Brijeg in the second round of Uefa Cup qualifying the following season.

Zeta coach Dejan Vukicevic resigned, refusing to divulge his reasons, two weeks after the Montenegran title was secured last season.

He was succeeded by Slobodan Halilovic, a 56-year-old Serb.

Halilovic has been a coach with Radnicki Nis, Al Wahda Sports Club in the United Arab Emirates, Montenegro's Mogren and, last season, Dinamo Vranje of Serbia.

Kaunas will also lose their coach, Angel Cervenkov,with their 1-0 Super Cup victory over Lithuanian cup winners Suduva is likely to be his last in charge of the club.

He is to join Hearts on their pre-season trip to Austria and Germany and could join the coaching staff at Tynecastle on a permanent basis.

Cervenkov is to be succeeded at Kaunas by Andrei Zygmantovitch, presently coach of another club sponsored by Romanov, MTZ-RIPO Minsk.

Two players who were on loan to Hearts last season but who have now returned to Kaunas might miss out on any games against Rangers.

It is still to be decided whether former Porto striker Edgaras Jankauskas will be employed as a coach or as a player.

And defender Nerijus Barasa is presently recovering from injury.

Striker Arkadius Klimek has also returned to Kaunas from Tynecastle.