Fenerbahce vs Rangers Prediction: Mourinho’s men will pile misery on toothless Gers

We’ve arrived at the Last 16 stage of this season’s UEFA Europa League. Followers have eight first-leg fixtures on the schedule with some big names in action, including Tottenham, Lyon, Man Utd, Ajax, Roma, and Lazio

We focus on the match in Istanbul, Turkey, where Fenerbahce host Rangers from 17:45 GMT in a showdown you can follow live on TNT Sports. Will Jose Mourinho’s Yellow Canaries make home advantage count to kill the tie early? Do you expect more heroics from Rangers in this competition? You can place your bets at Betfred now and check out Frank's Fenerbahce vs Rangers Predictions below...

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Fenerbahce are in the last 16 and hold hopes of progressing to the quarter-finals, but they’ve had to ride their luck so far. The Turkish Super Lig team scraped through the league phase of this competition, ending 24th, above Sporting Braga in 25th on goal difference. They then beat Anderlecht 5-2 on aggregate, following a strong 3-0 win in the first leg.

Rangers skipped the previous round thanks to an impressive eighth-place finish. The Scottish Premiership side ended with stats of four wins, two draws, and two defeats to finish ahead of Ajax, Galatasaray, and other big names. Rangers have since sacked manager Philippe Clement following a torrid league campaign. How much will that affect their style and results in Europe?

Fenerbahce vs Rangers Odds (click on the link for the full betfred.com match markets)

Fenerbahce certainly made home advantage count in the previous round, and they’ll be eager to do something similar here. The Turks won’t want to go to Glasgow needing to win, but the locals enter in great form, hammering Antalyaspor 3-0 at this venue on Sunday.

Will Mourinho lead his men to a strong win? You can bet on Feberbahce at 3/5 with Betfred.

Rangers have impressed again in the Europa League, and stand-in boss Barry Ferguson will hope to carry on the work of his predecessor, Philippe Clement.

Former club captain, Ferguson knows if his team can get a result here, Ibrox will take care of itself. European nights in Govan are always special, but Rangers must ensure they give the fans a reason to come out and create an atmosphere. The away win is 4/1 with the draw 3/1.

Fenerbahce win

You’d got to fancy a Mourinho team at home against an out-of-form Rangers side that’s struggling for identity and direction. I feel the Gers would’ve had a better chance of getting through this tie with Clement’s experience at the helm, but I worry for Barry mixing it with the former Chelsea and Man Utd manager. The locals look like a decent midweek bet.

Fenerbahce didn’t impress during the league stage, but they did draw their last two games to sneak into 24th. The home team then beat Anderlecht 3-0 here, and a winning streak has fired them into a title race with Galatasaray. Fenerbahce are the home team; they boast the stronger form of the two and will be roared on by a passionate crowd. Back the home win.

Both score and Fenerbahce win 

We’re backing Fenerbahce to win in Turkey, but Rangers are capable of another battling performance in this competition. I expect Ferguson’s men to find the net and keep things interesting, ensuring there’s something to play for when the teams renew rivalries in Glasgow next week.

Backing both teams to score would’ve landed you a winner when Fenerbahce last played in the Europa League. It was also the correct approach when Rangers lost at home to Motherwell on Saturday afternoon. Need more convincing? Fenerbahce have hosted Rangers only once before, with the Turks fighting to a 2-1 win in 2001.

Frank Monkhouse covers Scottish Football for us here at Betfred Insights. You can check out all of his work along with that of the rest of our Football Betting Tips desk on our main Football page...