Soccer
Prediction: Match to end in 1-1 draw
Best Odds: 119/20
Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur will lock horns with each other in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday evening. The League Stage game between the Scottish Premiership club and the Premier League outfit will be held at Ibrox and is scheduled to kick off at 8pm UK time on Thursday evening.
Rangers
Rangers are one of the biggest clubs in the world and have a strong fanbase. The Gers have done well in Europe in recent years and will be keen on progressing to the next stage of the UEFA Europa League.
Philippe Clement’s side are eighth in the League Stage table of the UEFA Europa League at the moment. Rangers have picked up 10 points from five matches and are only three points behind leaders Lazio.
While Rangers are flying in Europe, they need to do better on the domestic front. Rangers may have won four of their last five Scottish Premiership games, but they are already 11 points behind leaders, defending champions and bitter rivals Celtic.
Rangers boss Clement is looking forward to the match against Tottenham and said on Sunday: “Spurs is going to be a really big test. This team never played at this level against that type of opponent. I’m really interested in how we will react, how we will make our decisions on the pitch, because it needs to be faster than in the league games. The team can only grow getting experience like that. We’re in a really good place in that way, but we need to prove it on Thursday against one of the better teams in the Premier League, so it’s one of the better teams in the world with a really big difference in budget of course. That’s the level my players want to play and I want to play and I want to see them play also to challenge that type of team.”
Team News:
Rangers are likely to line up in a 4-1-4-1 formation against Tottenham Hotspur. Jack Butland will be in goal and will have James Tavernier, John Souttar, Leon Balogun and Jefte Vital Da Silva Dias in front of him in defence. Nicolas Raskin will be in holding midfield. Vaclav Cerny, Connor Barron, Ianis Hagi and Hamza Igmane will be the four attacking midfielders. Danilo will lead the line for the Scottish Premiership giants.
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur are a major club in England who regularly aim to finish in the top four of the Premier League table. Spurs reached the final of the UEFA Champions League in 2019 and are among the teams who are looking to qualify for Europe’s premier club competition next season.
However, things are not looking very good for Tottenham at the moment. Ange Postecoglou’s side allowed a 2-0 lead against Chelsea to slip through their fingers in the Premier League this past weekend. Spurs are seven points behind fourth-placed and defending champions Manchester City.
Tottenham are doing better in the UEFA Europa League. The North London club have picked up 10 points from five matches in the League Stage. Spurs are level on points with Ajax, Lyon and Rangers, who are sixth, seventh and eighth respectively in the standings.
Team News:
Tottenham Hotspur are likely to line up in a 4-3-3 formation against Rangers. Fraser Forster will be in goal and will have Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie as full-backs. With Cristian Romero injured, Radu Dragusin will come in at centre-back and will have Micky van de Ven next to him. Dejan Kulusevski, Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr will be the three midfielders. Brennan Johnson, Dominic Solanke and Son Heung-Min will be the three forwards.
Key Factors to Consider
- Rangers have scored 12 goals in 5 UEFA Europa League games.
- Vaclav Cerny has given 2 assists in 5 UEFA Europa League matches for Rangers so far this season.
- Vaclav Cerny and Hamza Igmane have scored 3 goals each in the UEFA Europa League so far this season.
- Tottenham Hotspur have scored 10 goals in 5 UEFA Europa League games.
- Tottenham Hotspur have conceded 6 goals in 5 UEFA Europa League matches.
Conclusion
Both Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur are good teams, and the match between the Scottish Premiership club and the Premier League outfit will be very entertaining. There should be goals in this particular UEFA Europa League game. It is likely to end in a draw.
Prediction: Match to end in 1-1 draw
Best Odds: 119/20
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