Rangers can expect to face FBK Kaunas - the Lithuanian club closely associated with Hearts - in the second round of qualifying for the Champions League.

Kaunas were handed a favourable draw in the first qualifying round, after being paired with Andorran side Santa Coloma.

The winners of that tie will go on to face Rangers in a two-legged second-round tie, the matches to be played on July 29/30 and August 5/6.

Kaunas are sponsored by Hearts majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov's bank, Ukio Bankas, and players from the Lithuanian side have been regularly sent to play in Scotland.

Indeed, new Rangers signing Andrius Velicka, who will join from Norwegian side Viking later in the month, moved from Kaunas to Hearts in 2006.

Rangers need to win two qualifying rounds before they reach the group stages which will contain rivals Celtic.

Defeat at the second qualifying stage, however, will mean the end of Rangers' European campaign before their season has started properly.

Elsewhere, Northern Irish challengers Linfield have been handed a mouth-watering tie with Dinamo Zagreb in the first qualifying round.

Although they would appear to have little chance of progress, Linfield at least know they have a glamour tie.

Winners of the Croatian league for the past three seasons, Dinamo have just sold Luka Modric to Tottenham for £15.8million and are looking to invest the money wisely.

It should ensure a decent crowd at Windsor Park for the home leg, which will be played first.

Dinamo dumped Ajax out of the UEFA Cup last season, so Linfield know they have a tough task to set up a potential second round meeting with Domzale of Slovenia or Dudelange of Luxembourg.

While Linfield have been involved in the competition many times before, it is a new experience for Welsh champions Llanelli and their Republic of Ireland counterparts Drogheda.

Despite not being seeded and seeing fellow countrymen Rhyl hammered twice by Bohemians in the Intertoto Cup, Llanelli will harbour some hopes of qualification after being paired with Latvian challengers Ventspils.

As with Llanelli, Drogheda will play the first leg of their first qualifying round tie on home soil, with Estonians Levadia the visitors.

Should they make it through, Ukrainian outfit Dinamo Kiev, who played eventual winners Manchester United in last season's competition, await at the second hurdle.

2008/09 UEFA Champions League first qualifying round draw: Linfield (Northern Ireland) v Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia); Valletta (Malta) v Artmedia Bratislava (Slovakia); Dinamo Tbilisi (Georgia) v NSI Runavik (Faroe Islands); Santa Coloma (Andorra) v FBK Kaunas (Lithuania); Murata (San Marino) v IFK Gothenburg (Sweden); Llanelli (Wales) v Ventspils (Latvia); Anorthosis Famugusta (Cyprus) v Pyunik (Armenia); Inter Baku (Azerbaijan) v Rabotnicki (Macedonia); Tampere United (Finland) v Buducnost Podgorica (Montenegro); F91 Dudelange (Luxembourg) v Domzale (Slovenia); Dinamo Tirana (Albania) v Modrica (Bosnia Herzegovina); Aktobe (Kazakhstan) v Sheriff (Moldova); Drogheda United (Rep of Ire) v Levadia Tallinn (Estonia); BATE (Belarus) v Valur Reykjavik (Iceland).