In pictures: Previous meetings between Manchester United and Rangers in Europe

Rangers are preparing to travel south to take on English Premier League giants Manchester United in a Battle of Britain clash on Thursday.

The sides meet at Old Trafford in the penultimate game of the inaugural league phase of the revamped Europa League.

Rangers assistant manager Ally McCoist chats with Manchester Utd boss Sir Alex Ferguson ahead of 2010 clash. SNS Group

It will be the fifth competitive game between the pair in European competition. United have the upper hand in the head-to-head record, with three wins and a draw in the previous four encounters.

Rangers have never scored against the Red Devils, with their best result being a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford in the 2010/11 Champions League.

Star forward Cristiano Ronaldo made one his first Champions League appearances in the fixture 22 years ago. SNS Group

STV News takes a look back at the previous encounters.

Rangers 0-1 Manchester United (2003)

Phil Neville scored the winner at Ibrox. SNS Group

Surprisingly, despite both clubs having periods of dominating their respective domestic titles, they had never played each other in Europe until 2003 when they were drawn in the same Champions League group.

Their first-ever competitive encounter was played at Ibrox and it was a tight affair settled by a rare goal from Phil Neville, whose strike earned Sir Alex Ferguson’s men a 1-0 victory over his boyhood club.

Manchester United 3-0 Rangers (2003)

Diego Forlan and Roy Keane celebrate the Uruguayan's strike in 3-0 win. — Diego Forlan and Roy Keane celebrate the Uruguayan’s strike in 3-0 win. SNS Group

The return group fixture at Old Trafford was a more one-sided affair as a star-studded United side featuring the likes of Roy Keane and Cristiano Ronaldo ran out 3-0 winners over Alex McLeish’s men.

Ruud van Nistelrooy struck twice, with the other goal a volley by Uruguayan hitman Diego Forlan.

Rangers exited Europe after finishing bottom of the group while United went on to the last-16, where they were defeated by eventual winners Porto – managed by up-and-coming boss Jose Mourinho.

Manchester United 0-0 Rangers (2010)

Rangers defended resolutely to take a point from Old Trafford in the Champions League. SNS Group

The next meeting was seven years later when they were once again paired in the same Champions League group for the 2010/11 campaign.

This time it was Walter Smith who came up against his old friend Ferguson as the legendary managers went head-to-head at Old Trafford.

It was a typically Smith-like performance as Rangers produced a defensive display that kept the likes of Wayne Rooney at bay. The match finished goalless and the Ibrox side took a point back to Glasgow.

Rangers 0-1 Manchester United (2010)

Wayne Rooney scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win at Ibrox in 2010. SNS Group

Rangers were just minutes away from earning another draw against the English champions in the return game before star forward Rooney struck in the 87th minute.

Manchester United again topped the group, with the Ibrox side taking third place and dropping into the Europa League.