JON DAHL TOMASSON is confident Malmo will have the low-down on 'top class' Rangers ahead of their Champions League clash in Sweden next week.

The Allsvenskan leaders set up a third qualifying round tie with Steven Gerrard's side by overcoming HJK Helsinki on Tuesday night and will host Rangers in the first leg on August 3.

A 2-2 draw in Finland saw Tomasson's side progress and the Swedes now stand in Rangers' way as they attempt to move within one tie of a place in the lucrative group stages this season.

The champions begin their Premiership title defence at home to Livingston this weekend before they return to European action and boss Tomasson is excited at the prospect of the meeting with Gerrard's side.

Tomasson said: "We already had people away watching games in Glasgow to prepare. Now I will enjoy this game. We are very ambitious.

"We want to win the league in Sweden and still qualify for a group phase. We did that. It is going to be a nice game, starting in Malmo next week.

"I am very happy to get through to a group phase so that we get a lot of European games now. I am happy for the supporters, the supporters deserve those games.

"Hopefully we can get a little bit more supporters into the stadium, it is only 5,000 in Sweden. You saw here that it was also a good atmosphere. We need our fans in the stadium for sure.

"We had our scout ready to watch them. They are playing Livingston on Saturday as well so we will have a good idea about Rangers.

"Of course, they are a top class side. We know that."

Malmo took a 2-1 lead into their return leg in Helsinki this week and recovered from losing an early goal to earn a draw on the night as Anders Christiansen and Veljko Birmancevic found the target.

Former Feyenoord and AC Milan star Tomasson has his side two points clear, having played a game more, of Djurgaarden at the top of the table with 29 points from their 13 Allsvenskan fixtures.

And the 44-year-old was encouraged with the result as Malmo overcame their Finnish hosts to book their place in the next round against Rangers.

Tomasson said: "It shows a bit of the spirit that we have in the team. Coping with an early goal, it can be difficult.

"It was a situation that shouldn’t happen. We conceded a goal in the first minute from a corner, which was not a corner at all, but still we have to do our job in the box.

"After that, we scored the equaliser and I think we can be happy with the result and of course we are happy to go through.

"If you look at the two games, I think we were the better team.

"We know that Helsinki is a good team, especially here playing on an artificial [pitch]. They are very good at moving the ball and we were not that good with the ball.

"I am very happy with the result. In football, you need hard work to get results and I think all my boys did a fantastic effort regarding the workload.

"If you look at the overall performance, which the coach has to do, we are very happy with the result. Football wise it should be better but if you look at those two games, I think we deserved to go through."

Rangers will be confident of booking their place in the play-off round in the coming weeks as they attempt to take their fine Europa League form under Gerrard's guidance into the Champions League this term.

Serbian star Birmancevic could prove to be one of the danger men for Malmo after he took his tally for the campaign to seven goals from 14 appearances with the second in Helsinki that booked a place in the next round.

Tomasson said: "He is a young boy with extremely good quality. It is always difficult to come to another country and a different way of playing, but he is coping with that and he is trying his best to learn the whole time.

"We know the quality in front of goal, we know his speed, we know in one against one situations.

"Veljko is on a run so I am very happy for him. It is great to see."