Pizzi scored with 12 minutes remaining to salvage a draw for Benfica at Ibrox in 2020

Rangers have been given a tough Europa League last-16 draw after being paired with Portuguese champions Benfica.

As group winners, Rangers will be away for the first leg on 7 March with the return at Ibrox a week later.

Rangers could not be paired with fellow seeded teams Liverpool, West Ham, Brighton, Atalanta, Villarreal, Bayer Leverkusen and Slavia Prague.

They could have drawn teams such as Sparta Prague, Freiburg or Qarabag but will face one of Europe’s great clubs.

Benfica sit joint top of the Portuguese Primeira Liga table with Lisbon rivals Sporting, who have a game in hand.

Their squad contains young superstars Antonio Silva, a centre-back, and defensive midfielder Joao Neves, as well as former Real Madrid winger Angel di Maria and ex-Manchester City defender Nicolas Otamendi.

Rangers drew twice with Benfica in the Europa League in 2020 under Steven Gerrard.

They conceded two late goals against their 10-man opponents as it finished 3-3 in the iconic Stadium of Light then also shipped two goals at Ibrox a fortnight later to be pegged back to 2-2.

One of Europe’s legendary clubs, Benfica won back-to-back European Cups at the start of the 1960s and have been five-time finalists in Europe’s elite competition.

They are three-time finalists in the Europa League – formerly known as the Uefa Cup – in 1983, 2013 and 2014.

Rangers reached the last 16 of this year’s competition by winning a group containing Sparta Prague, Real Betis and Aris Limassol, topping the pool thanks to a dramatic 3-2 win over the Spanish side in December.

The draw for the quarter-finals and semi-finals will be made on 15 March, with the final in Dublin on 22 May.

Full Europa League last-16 draw

Sparta Prague v Liverpool

Marseille v Villarreal

Roma v Brighton

Benfica v Rangers

Freiburg v West Ham

Sporting v Atalanta

AC Milan v Slavia Prague

Qarabag v Bayer Leverkusen