In a fresh supercomputer projection, Rangers’ chances of winning the Europa League have been upgraded.

Rangers will continue their Europa League campaign next month with a two-legged clash against Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce.

After finishing in the top eight of the competition’s new league phase in January, Rangers were seeded for the round-of-16 draw, where they were paired with Fenerbahce instead of Bodo/Glimt.

However, Mourinho won’t face Philippe Clement at Ibrox, as the Belgian manager was dismissed on Sunday following Rangers’ 2-0 loss to St Mirren, which capped off a run of poor domestic results.

Barry Ferguson has been appointed as interim manager for the remainder of the season, setting up a managerial duel with Mourinho as Rangers aim to progress towards the final in Bilbao.

Despite securing a top-eight spot with a 2-1 victory over Union Saint-Gilloise, Rangers are not considered strong contenders for the Europa League title. According to the latest predictions from Opta Analyst (updated after the round-of-16 draw on February 21), Rangers are ranked as the 13th favorite to win the competition, with only a 1.5 percent chance of lifting the trophy. The winner of their tie with Fenerbahce will face either Roma or Athletic Bilbao in the quarter-finals.

Clement’s dismissal came amid a disappointing domestic season, with Rangers trailing Celtic by 13 points in the Premiership and suffering a Scottish Cup exit to Queen’s Park. In Europe, however, Clement had guided Rangers to the last 16 with four wins from eight matches, only losing to Manchester United and Lyon.

During the group stage, Rangers outperformed Fenerbahce, finishing with 14 points compared to Fenerbahce’s 10. Notable victories over FCSB and Nice saw Clement match Steven Gerrard’s European achievements, offering some solace to fans amidst domestic struggles.

With Ferguson now leading the team for the rest of the campaign, the atmosphere at Ibrox is expected to be electrifying against Fenerbahce. Facing Mourinho early in his managerial stint will be a tough challenge for Ferguson, but with strong home support, the outcome of the tie remains uncertain.