Rangers vs Sparta Prague Tips: Best bets for UEL showdown

It has been a tumultuous couple of weeks for Rangers with Steven Gerrard leaving for Aston Villa and the team being comfortably beaten in the cup by Hibs, but there is cause for optimism as Giovanni Van Bronckhorst gears up for his first game in charge.

The Dutchman is a popular figure among the Rangers’ fans, and his first came could hardly be more important as they welcome Sparta Prague to Ibrox, with both teams tied on four points in Group A in the Europa League.

Rangers narrowly lost the reverse fixture 1-0 and were reduced to ten men towards the end of the match when Glen Kamara was given a second yellow card.  However, the game was marred by allegations of racism against Kamara and that anger only grew in the Rangers’ camp as UEFA failed to impose any sanctions following the incident.

The last meeting between these sides saw each team pick up 2 yellow cards each and as previously mentioned, Rangers were awarded a red card. 

Referee, Dany Makkelie brandishes 4 yellow cards per game on average and he gave out 7 yellows and 1 red in his last European club clash when Liverpool took on Atletico. 

The game is a pivotal one for both teams and any bad blood carrying over from the first meeting should only add fuel to the fire. Rangers’ players will be cheered on by a vocal home support and no doubt they will be keen to bounce back from their disappointing display at the weekend by getting stuck in.

Rangers are a bit of a unknown quantity with the new manager coming in, but their games have been seeing a lot of goals lately. Rangers have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 6 matches, a run that spans over a month, and that is the only clean sheet they have managed in their last 10 matches.

It’s also a must win game for Rangers and their should be a feel good atmosphere around Ibrox with Van Bronckhorst coming in and galvanising the troops after a poor result at the weekend.

Rangers have won 3 of their last 5 matches where they have been similarly priced and their opponents have lost all of their last 5 matches at similar odds.

The longer odds bet relies upon the factors previously mentioned and there is every reason to believe there will be goals in this game. Rangers’ last 5 matches in all competitions are averaging 4.6 goals and Sparta Prague’s last 5 matches average 3.8 goals per game.

The cards angle is based around the importance of the fixture with both teams needing the points and the bad blood that stems from the previous encounter.

The longer odds bet relies upon the factors previously mentioned and there is every reason to believe there will be goals in this game. Rangers’ last 5 matches in all competitions are averaging 4.6 goals and Sparta Prague’s last 5 matches average 3.8 goals per game.

The cards angle is based around the importance of the fixture with both teams needing the points and the bad blood that stems from the previous encounter.