Rangers v Dortmund: BVB aren’t done, but the crowd can roar Gers through

“BVB have played four games this month, and those matches have produced a total of 22 goals.”

Rangers v Borussia Dortmund

Thursday, 19:45

Live on BT Sport

There’s still work to do

Rangers recorded one of Scottish football’s greatest ever results in Europe when hammering Borussia Dortmund 4-2 at the Westfalenstadion last week, but there’s still work to be done in this tie. BVB come to Ibrox for this second leg knowing they must win by at least three clear goals to progress. The Germans certainly have the firepower to achieve that.

Rangers are in the driving seat ahead of this return match and will be roared on by a capacity crowd at the world-famous Ibrox Park. The crowd will create a special atmosphere as they aim to spur their favourites on while rattling the visitors. The attack did a great job in Dortmund, now it’s time for the defence to stand up and be counted.

Gers fall further behind

Rangers find themselves three points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership title race after dropping another two points at Tannadice on Sunday. The Tangerines beat the champions here earlier in the campaign and took a first-half lead, but a Joe Aribo goal secured a share of the spoils for the visitors. Winning the title is more important than ever with an automatic place in next season’s Champions League at stake, but it’s the Bhoys that sit in the driving seat.

The light blues were sensational when stunning European football a week ago, but it’s only halftime, and manager Giovanni van Bronkhorst was keen to remind his players of that. Speaking post-match, the former Champions League winner called for calm, telling everyone connected to the club that a solid performance is needed to complete the job.

Dortmund reacts with a big win

Borussia Dortmund was priced like losing at home to Rangers wasn’t an option, but the Germans were forced to admit they deserved nothing from the match. By the time Rangers scored their fourth goal of the night, even the 10,000 home fans were cheering the Scottish champions. That support demanded a response in their return to league action, and they got it on Sunday.

BVB were again at home, and they took out their frustrations on Bundesliga opponents Borussia Monchengladbach, running out 6-0 winners. As far as responses go, that’s something special, and it didn’t go unnoticed in Scotland. Captain Marco Reus netted a double in that game and has now scored four in his last two league games. The 32-year-old will be expected to lead by example in Govan.

Blues sea of Ibrox

Borussia Dortmund will emerge from the tunnel at Ibrox to a blue sea of noise. More than 50,000 fans will be against them on the night, all making their feelings crystal clear, and it’ll be interesting to see how the players respond to that. It’s not an atmosphere they would have experienced before.

Dortmund must win this match, and they are expected to do just that with 1.768/11 available on the Betfair Exchange. Rangers don’t need to win; they just need to avoid losing by three or more goals. That should ensure the hosts are defensive, aiming to hit on the break. Rangers are 4.57/2 to do the double with a draw 4.47/2.

The scoring hasn’t finished

We were treated to a goal-fest last week, and more of the same is expected here. Looking through the stats, we note BVB have played four games this month, and those matches have produced a total of 22 goals. That’s quite remarkable.

Over 3.5 goals on Thursday looks worth a play at 2.26/5, or you can stick with both teams to score at 1.564/7. Rangers wanted it more in Germany and, with the capacity crowd, they should have enough of a cushion to squeeze through.