Rangers v Feyenoord
Thursday, 20:00
Live on BT Sport
Glamour night in Govan
Rangers battled through the qualifying rounds of this season’s Europa League and the reward for Steven Gerrard’s side is a glamour tie against Dutch cracks Feyenoord in Glasgow on Thursday night. This match, set for a 8.00pm kick-off live on BT Sport, is the opening game of Group G, a pool that also boasts Porto and Young Boys.
This adventure began way back in July with a 4-0 win over St Joseph’s of Gibraltar and Thursday night is seen by Gerrard as nothing less than his men deserved after successfully negotiating eight qualifying matches, including a 1-0 aggregate win over Legia Warsaw at this venue last month.
Will the Gers continue their winning ways when things get serious? The pre-match betting has them as favourites and the home win is sure to be popular.
Ryan Kent suffers early blow
Rangers recorded an impressive 3-1 win over Livingston at Ibrox on Saturday afternoon, but it came at a cost with new signing Ryan Kent hobbling off after only 40 minutes. Steven Gerrard was criticised by some for throwing the big money buy from Liverpool in from the start against a physical Livingston side as the player was expected to be rusty and off the pace having not played top team football this season.
The manager confirmed it was always his plan to give Ryan Kent an hour on the pitch and Brandon Barker 30mins, but he was forced to re-think that approaching half-time. Barker made a difference when getting the early call, capping a strong performance with a goal on 79 minutes to give his employers a cushion. Will that be enough to win him a place in the starting 11 on Thursday? He has certainly improved his chances.
Rangers have never beaten Feyenoord in competitive action with the head-to-head stats showing a 1-1 draw at Ibrox in the UEFA Cup in 2002 followed by a 3-2 win for Feyenoord in the return leg. Another level finish is [3.5] on the Exchange, a home win yours at [2.32].
Feyenoord’s form worries the hosts
Feyenoord make this trip to Glasgow on a strong run of form and that’s not something home fans want to hear. The visitors have won each of their last four outings, scoring 10 goals and conceding just two.
They had no trouble eliminating a decent Hapoel Beer-Sheva in the Europa League play-off round, racking up a 6-0 aggregate score thanks to 3-0 wins home and away. The Pride of the South then beat Willem 1-0 away on the opening day of September. That result was achieved thanks to penalty from Berghuis on 74 minutes.
Jaap Stam’s Feyenoord were last seen scraping a 3-2 over ADO Den Haag at De Kuip on Sunday afternoon. Karsdorp opened the scoring on six minutes and that was followed by strikes from Narsingh and Fer. The points should’ve been wrapped up by half time, but Feyenoord allowed their opponents back into it when conceding two own goals on 77 and 83, making for a nervy finish to the contest. The away win is trading at [3.35] on the Betfair Exchange.
Free-scoring visitors will get chances
Ibrox Stadium will be a sell-out on the night and those in attendance are sure to create a special atmosphere. That will lift Rangers and make things difficult for the visitors, but Feyenoord have been playing some attractive football of late and it was a surprise to see them written off so easily in the betting. This match will be much closer than the pre-match betting suggests.
Rangers have conceded three goals in two previous starts this month, both at Ibrox. That’s worth keeping in mind when remembering Feyenoord have four goals in their previous two. The visitors will get chances on Thursday and the stats suggest they’ll have no problem taking them. Both teams to score looks worth a place in your accumulators at 4/5 on the Betfair Sportsbook, over 2.5 goals coming in at 21/10.
Rennes v Celtic
Thursday, 17:55
Live on BT Sport
Strong start from Les Rennais
Rennes welcome Scottish treble winners Celtic to Stade de la Route-de-Lorient for this early evening kick-off and the French Ligue 1 side aim to collect three points and take control of a competitive looking pool which includes Lazio and CFR Cluj. The Hoops dropped into this competition following elimination from the Champions League, but they are a side the likes of Rennes and Lazio will rate themselves good enough to beat.
The home team have suffered a mixed bag in the league so far this season. They exploded out of the traps to win each of their first three games but have taken just one point from the last six available.
10 points on the board leaves them sitting second, two points behind defending champions and league leaders PSG who have won four from four. Will Rennes carry their league form into this match? The [2.3] available on the Betfair Exchange suggests so.
Celtic’s perfect start continues
Neil Lennon’s Celtic continued their perfect start to the Scottish Premiership season when beating Hamilton 1-0 at New Douglas Park on Saturday. James Forrest opened the scoring inside four minutes but that was to be the only goal of the afternoon, the victors seemingly taking their foot off the gas with one eye on Thursday.
That weekend win means Celtic now have 15 points on the board after five games with a 2-0 cheer over Rangers at Ibrox included in that run. They travel with confidence but their away form in Europe means they are easy to oppose. This is sure to be a hard-fought contest but those who fancy an away win will be delighted by the [3.55] on the Betfair Exchange for Celtic to take three points back to Glasgow.
Taking no in the both teams to score market would’ve been a winner in each of Celtic’s last two as well as Rennes goalless draw with Brest on Saturday. More of the same is worth considering at [1.96].
Source: Betfair Europa League
