Rangers v RB Leipzig: Back Bears to overturn Bulls’ lead and book place in final

Rangers v RB Leipzig
Thursday, 20:00
Live on BT Sport

There’s all to play for

Scottish Premiership champions Rangers host German Bundesliga opponents RB Leipzig in this Europa League semi-final at Ibrox. The Germans hold a 1-0 aggregate lead following a late winner last Thursday in Leipzig, but there’s still all to play for here, with a place in the final at stake.

Giovanni van Bronkhorst’s men overturned a 1-0 deficit in the quarter-finals to eliminate Braga after extra time, and the Gers now hold high hopes of doing the same in the semis. They must beat the Germans by at least one goal to remain in the race, but there’s optimism in the squad, and they’ll be backed by a full house at Ibrox, creating one of the best atmospheres in world football.

Will the Bears or the Bulls progress? You can have your say now on the Betfair Exchange.

Gers were held on Sunday

Rangers needed a win in Sunday’s Old Firm derby to keep alive their chances of defending the Premiership trophy they won under Steven Gerrard last season but were held to a 1-1 draw by league leaders Celtic.

The Bhoys took the lead in that game with Jota scoring in the first half before Fashion Sakala equalised with a powerful drive on 67 minutes. That set up a tense finish but Rangers and their depleted attack couldn’t find a winner.

The Scots played well in Leipzig last week before finally falling to a goal from Angelino on 85 minutes. It was a stunning volley at first glance, taken first time from the edge of the box, but a replay showed two RB players were offside and should have been judged to be interfering with play.

The Gers players protested, but the goal slipped past VAR and stood. That means Rangers must win at Ibrox if they are to go through to the final, where they’ll meet either West Ham or Frankfurt.

Bulls made to work for their win

Leipzig started last week’s first leg as the red hot betting favourites to beat Rangers at the stunning Red Bull Arena. Many fans had the Germans picked to score a few goals, keep a clean sheet and take one step towards the final in Seville.

They did win and finished without conceding a goal but were made to work for the result by a dogged and determined opponent that kept their shape throughout.

Despite this match hanging in the balance and Leipzig heading to Glasgow for this second leg, they were in action on Monday evening against Borussia Monchengladbach in another away trip.

That means Rangers enjoyed more than 24 hours more recovery time than their visitors. RB Leipzig have now played nine times in the last month, and there will be some tired legs in the visiting camp.

Fans to help Gers make history

Rangers and their fans considered last week’s defeat in Germany a decent result as it kept the tie alive. Gio’s side now have the home advantage and will be roared on by a sell-out audience in Govan.

The players need a 12th man for this game as scoring against the Bulls won’t be easy, but the atmosphere will be electric, and there’s a chance RB will be caught off-guard.

The pre-game betting has Rangers priced at 3.711/4 for the win with RB Leipzig trading at 2.111/10, and a draw that would send the Germans through is 3.9. We’re backing Rangers to make history by booking their place in the Europa League final.

Tight match expected

Keep in mind that the first lef ended 1-0 when preparing to make your predictions. RB Leipzig’s last two games in this competition have seen one side fail to find the net.

Take no in the both teams to score market at 2.166/5 or back under 2.5 goals in the game at 2.021/1.