Servette vs. Rangers Betting Tips: Gers to triumph in Switzerland

Rangers travel to Switzerland to take on Servette on Tuesday evening in the second leg of their Champions League third qualifying round tie. Find below a preview for the game along with two tips we think represent good value in the betting markets.

Rangers take a one-goal lead into the second leg after a 2-1 victory at Ibrox a week ago. Goals from Cyriel Dessers and James Tavernier from the spot gave Michael Beale’s side the win, although Tavernier did give away a penalty just before half-time.

The winner of this tie will either face PSV Eindhoven or Sturm Graz for a place in the Group stage, with Swiss side Servette never having achieved that feat, having failed qualifying periods in the 90’s. 

It has not been a positive start to the campaign for Rene Weller’s men with only one win from their last six matches, which came in the form of shoot-out success against Genk in the second-qualifying stage. 

Taking a look at the match result odds and Rangers are favourites at 11/10 with most betting sites. The draw is on offer at 11/4, while a win for the hosts is chalked-up at 21/10. In terms of qualifying for the next round, due to their one goal lead, Rangers can be sided with at 2/1, while Servette are out at 3/1.

Rangers suffered some ring rust in the opening game of their Scottish Premiership season with a 2-0 defeat away at Kilmarnock. Since then the Gers have managed a 2-1 victory in the Champions League, before a thumping 4-0 demolition of Livingston on Saturday as they look to win their first domestic title since 2021. 

We expect no slip-ups from Rangers on Tuesday and despite already taking one goal lead into the second leg, we are backing them to win in the standard match result market. 

As mentioned above Servette have been underwhelming in their league campaign so far this term, winning just one of their four opening fixtures. Their last three have ended in stalemate against Stade Lausanne Ouchy, St Gallen and FC Zurich and they will also be without Frenchman Samba Dia after his two yellow cards in the first leg. 

Ryan Jack, Connor Golson and John Lundstrum all were rested for the game with Livingston last weekend and with the hosts missing up to six of their first team through injury, we fancy a win for Rangers in Switzerland.

Most bookmakers have priced James Tavernier at 3/1 in the anytime scorer market. However, William Hill go 17/5, which looks worthy of a punt in our eyes, with those odds implying a 28% chance of success. 

This selection may seem like a bit of an obvious one, but dig a little deeper into Tavernier’s goalscoring record in European fixtures and there is a case to be made why this price could be a little too long. 

Since the start of 2022, the 31-year-old has made 20 appearances for Rangers across Europa League and Champions League fixtures. In that period he has scored an impressive 10 goals, giving plenty of appeal to the 17/4 on show for another on Tuesday. Tavernier as usual will be on penalty duty and scored a whopping 18 goals across all competitions last season.