Rangers begin their Europa League campaign on Thursday night (20:00) when they welcome Spanish side Real Betis to Ibrox.
The Gers recorded a win in their first game after the international break and will look to continue that form in this match, while Betis have collected seven points from their opening five games.
Rangers vs Real Betis Prediction
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Rangers will be without central midfielder Todd Cantwell while Steven Davis and Kieran Dowell also remain sidelined for the hosts.
Danilo will also be absent for the Gers, after being withdrawn at the weekend due to a compound fracture, which required surgery.
As for Betis, Nabil Fekir remains in the treatment room due to a long-term knee injury, while Claudio Bravo and William Carvalho are also unavailable.
Rui Silva, Aitor Ruibal and Youssouf Sabaly are also on the injury list for the Spanish outfit.
Draw and both teams to score @ 16/5
If I’m being completely honest, I’m not sure which way this match is going to go, so I’m playing the draw and both teams to score.
Rangers’ defensive deficiencies were clear for all to see in Europe last season and the same shortcomings reared their head during their Champions League qualifiers.
Michael Beale’s backline was breached seven times across their two games with PSV Eindhoven, and the Gers failed to keep out Swiss side Servette in the round prior to that, too.
Betis have enjoyed a solid start to their campaign but Los Verdiblancos have suffered defeats in their last two La Liga away games, conceding nine goals while scoring just twice.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side have also kept just two clean sheets across their last 10 European assignments away from home.
#PickYourPunt – Hector Bellerin to be carded @ 10/3
With this being a difficult match to call, I thought I’d take a look at the card market, and whilst Hector Bellerin isn’t exactly renowned for being a card magnet, I think he could be an interesting selection here.
The Spanish full-back could have his hands full trying to deal with the pace of Rabbi Matondo, who was on the scoresheet in Rangers’ 2-0 victory over St Johnstone last time out.
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