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Tuesday, November 24
Kick Off: 7.45pm

Rangers head back into Europe, having redeemed themselves a little bit on Match Day 4. The battling Scots earned themselves a 1-1 draw against Unirea Urziceni, after suffering a heavy 4-1 defeat the hands of the Romanians at home in their previous game. With Group leader’s Sevilla being held to a surprising 1-1 draw against German side Stuttgart, it means that Rangers actually have a realistic chance to play their way into qualification contention. They will need to overcome Stuttgart on Tuesday night though as a first hurdle, but they will take heart that they managed to come away from Germany with a 1-1 tie on Match Day 1. A win for the Scots will put them up onto 5 points, and with Sevilla expecting to beat Unirea Urziceni in the other group fixture, the victory would draw Rangers level on points with the Romanians, albeit with a worse goal difference.

The road ahead for qualification through the remaining fixtures is still going to be somewhat tough for Walter Smith’s men, as they will need to pull out some kind of result against Sevilla in the final round of matches, who are a very strong side. Rangers will go into the fixture at Ibrox on the back of domestic 3-0 win against Kilmarnock. The difference in class in which Rangers are facing between domestic and European competition, is highlighted by the fact that they haven’t lost a domestic game since March of this year, totalling 27 games. Their only two defeats during that time have come against Sevilla and Unirea Urziceni in the Champions League. They have some injury worries, but have been quite resilient about getting through games.

Walter Smith should not be too worried, but cautious all the same about taking down the Germans, even though both teams are without a win in the competition so far. Stuttgart have not managed to rally to a victory in their last ten outings, having only picked up two wins in the league all season, and sit third from bottom in the Bundesliga. They are struggling for goals with only four tallied in their last nine matches. It has been a rapid fall from grace from last season for the Germans. Rangers are sitting atop of the Scottish Premier league, in spite of going through a run of games where they could not hit the back of the net themselves. The Scots need to be on top of their game on Tuesday, as anything less than a win would put them in real jeopardy. They need to win to give themselves any kind of a chance of pinching that second qualification spot behind the strength of the Spaniards Sevilla.

Rangers to win: 7/4 at Stan James
Draw: 12/5 at SkyBet
Stuttgart to win: 13/8 at Bet365

Betting Advice: While a draw will not mean curtains for Rangers’ hopes of qualifying, a win would put them in much stronger standing. The other factor they need is for Unirea Urziceni not to pull of a surprise victory against Sevilla, as that would put Rangers teetering on the absolute brink of elimination. It needs an all out brave attacking performance from Rangers, as the Germans are definitely there for the taking on current form. A draw is more than possible here, with the Bookies still favouring the Germans, so whichever way you want to swing it, a good bet on Rangers would be a Draw No Bet 5/6 at Blue Square

It is time to return to Champions League action for the big four in England, plus Rangers, who are Scotland’s sole representatives this year. All four English clubs managed a win in their first outings, but they were all performances which did just enough, rather than flatter. Such things can be easily excused so early in the season after new summer signings, but Match Day 2 often signals the settling down of the groups and getting into some kind of European swing of things.

Group E
Fiorentina v Liverpool
Debrecen v Lyon
Liverpool and Lyon were both 1-0 victors over Debrecen and Fiorentina respectively in their opening home matches. They both hit the road this week, with the Reds trundling off to Italy to play the famous Viola. They will be hoping to continue playing a merry tune, as their recent form has seen them scoring freely, largely thanks to Torres and Gerard. Lyon are going along nicely in the French league, sitting in second place and having only suffered one defeat all season. They, Fiorentina and Liverpool in their respective leagues are all kind of in similar standings, so there appears there won’t be too much to choose between these three. Hungarians Debrecen host their first ever Champions League fixture at home, and they couldn’t get much of a tougher task than facing Lyon. Will the sense of occasional overwhelm them, or will the electricity surrounding the event give them the much fabled extra man and help them secure a famous result?

Betting Tips:
Liverpool to draw: 5/2 at Stan-James
Lyon to win: 5/11 at Expekt

To Win Group E
Liverpool – 4/6 at Coral
Lyon – 2/1 at Ladbrokes
Fiorentina – 9/1 at PaddyPower
Debrecen – 150/1 at Bet365

Group F
Rubin Kazan v Inter Milan
Barcelona v Dynamo Kiev
The big opening match in Group F, well, of the Champions League itself really, fizzled out to a 0-0 draw as Jose Mourinho saw his Inter Milan team hold current holders Barcelona. Barcelona looked the better team on the night, and the battle of the two swapped strikers, E’to and Ibrahimovic wasn’t really settled and so we shall await the next fixture in Barcelona. Until then, the Italians face a trip to Russian title holders Rubin Kazan, who lost their first ever Champions League fixture 3-1 to Ukranians Dynamo Kiev. Rubin Kazan was a bit of unknown quantity coming into the tournament this year, but that result against their more established foes, will have put some minds at ease, but perhaps stirred up others about Kiev. Rubin Kazan now get the chance to give their home fans a taste of the Champions League for the first time ever, and what a spectacle they will have, when the colossal heritage of Inter Milan roll up on their doorstep. But truly, whatever the Russian and Ukranian champions can muster up, its not ever likely to threaten tp be enough to get out of the group stage. Inter and Barcelona should be far too strong over the course of the group.

Betting Tips:
Inter Milan to win 1-0: 6/1 at SkyBet
Barcelona to win 3-0: 13/2 at 888Sport

To Win Group F
Barcelona – 4/9 at Totesport
Inter Milan – 3/1 at Coral
Dynamo Kiev – 16/1 at ExtraBet
Rubin Kazan – 66/1 at ExtraBet

Group G
Unirea Urziceni v Stuttgart
Rangers v Sevilla
Sevilla are clearly the strongest team in this group, but Rangers have a great chance to get themselves out of the group stages this season. Stuttgart aren’t having their most wonderful season with only two wins from eight attempts in the Bundesliga, and Romanians Unirea Urziceni shouldn’t pose too many threats to anyone else in the group. There are some big nights ahead for Rangers, and they will need to make the most of home advantage. They will need to overturn some worrying trends against Spanish opposition in order to do so, as they have a terrible record against Spanish teams. Still, the fixtures they way they are for Rangers, could help them get a great boost. A draw wouldn’t even be too bad for the Scottish side and will give them a little heart as the underdogs of the group will be visiting Ibrox next. Unirea Urziceni, guided by the ever happy face of ex Chelsea favourite Dan Petrescu top the Hungarian Liga 1, and this truly is their big chance to grab a night of European glory. It’s a big home night for them too, and passions will be high.

Betting Tips:
Sevilla to win: 20/19 at Expekt
Unirea Urziceni to draw: 5/2 at Boylesports

To Win Group G
Sevilla – 8/15 at Ladbrokes
Stuttgart – 7/2 at ExtraBet
Rangers – 6/1 at Totesport or (6/4 to qualify at Victor Chandler)
Unirea Urziceni - 66/1 at ExtraBet

Group H
Arsenal v Olympiakos
AZ Alkmaar v Standard Liege
Arsenal aside, this is possibly the weakest group in the competition. After getting stunned by two goals in the first five minutes against Liege, Arsenal rallied to a 3-2 win. A loss there would have been considered something of a disaster for Arsene Wenger’s team, and they’ll be glad to get back to the Emirates where they have a formidable record. Olympiakos are a decent team, but not of the quality of the Gunners, and while stubborn, should see defeat. AZ Alkmaar aren’t the wonder boys of Dutch football at the moment, as they have lost three times already in their first eight games, and are facing mid table mediocrity. Standard Liege are three points off the top in the Belgian League, and will be somewhat spirited by the performance against the Arsenal, even if they couldn’t sustain it for 90 minutes. If their fixture against Alkmaar was at home, they would probably be worth backing for a win. However, whether they can replicate their early showing against Arsenal away from home is a different matter, but are still worth an outside punt.

Betting Tips:
Arsenal to win 1-0: 13/2 at Extrabet
Standard Liege Draw No Bet: 13/5 at William Hill

To Win Group H
Arsenal – 2/7 at Coral
Olympiakos – 7/1 at Ladbrokes
AZ Alkmaar – 16/1 at ExtraBet
Standard Liege – 66/1 at ExtraBet

Betting Advice. Clearly you are not going to get a lot of market action on the favourites such as Barcelona. Look for slight underdog teams which are home if you are looking for an upset, but opposed to going all out for a shock, consider the draw. Or, if you want to hedge your bets on an underdog, look for Draw No Bet, which will mean that you will break even in the event of a draw, and be laughing if they do win. Asian Handicaps should also offer a little more chance of return, or just double up, or run an accumulator with some of your selections. Winning a little is better than losing everything.