Cowdenbeath v Rangers
Friday 18th January 1945hrs
Football – Scotland – Scottish Cup
Pick: Rangers to win to nil
Bookmaker: Bet Victor
Odds:7/10 (odds taken 21.45 GMT, Wednesday 16th January)
The top-flight clubs return from their winter break in Scotland with the first step on the road to Hampden. The hosts have done well to reach this stage and eager to cause a major cup upset. Match preview of Cowdenbeath against Rangers with a selected best betting tip, below.
Scottish Cup Betting at Bet Victor
Cowdenbeath Preview
Cowdenbeath play their football in League Two – the bottom tier of the professional game in Scotland. Nicknamed the Blue Brazil, Cowdenbeath have done excellent to reach the third round of the Scottish Cup and their reward is a money-spinning tie against one of the biggest clubs in the Scottish game. The draw has been kind to them until this stage as well, with their first two ties being at home. The first of those was against Clyde, who sit above them in League Two before narrowly seeing off Brora Rangers of the Highland League. The name of that opponent and their next is where the similarity ends, however, and it would be one of the biggest ever shocks in this competition should Cowdenbeath prevail. In all likelihood this is where their cup run comes to an end but to illustrate just how unfamiliar a position this is for the club, it’s just the second time in the last 10 years they have been playing a Scottish Cup tie in January. Manager Colin Cameron knows that his team will be up against it and having won the cup as a player for Hearts back in 1998 – a final in which they defeated a team called Rangers – he’s well placed to comment.
Key-Facts – Cowdenbeath v Rangers
- There are 35 positions between these two clubs in the Scottish leagues
- The last time Cowdenbeath reached this stage they lost 5-1 – away to Rangers
- Steven Gerrard is hoping to guide Rangers to their first silverware since being liquidated in 2012
Rangers Preview
Rangers went into their three-week winter break in the best possible mood having won the Glasgow derby, a win that took them level on points with Celtic at the top of the table, albeit having played a game more. It was their first success over Celtic since 2012 and the celebrations showed that. Steven Gerrard has had the opportunity to work with his players in a warm weather training camp for the past couple of weeks in an attempt to recharge their batteries after a hectic first half of the season. The club have also been busy bringing in a couple of very experienced reinforcements as Rangers attempt to push towards what they hope will be some silverware come the end of the campaign. Jermaine Defoe and Steven Davis have join on loan and have filled positions that Rangers have been light in. This will be the first taste of Scottish Cup action for Gerrard and many of his players with just a few left from the last time that Rangers reached the final back in 2016. They lost out in a classic encounter with Hibs on that occasion and will be looking for their first triumph – and major trophy – since being liquidated.
Cowdenbeath v Rangers Betting Advice
I alluded to how infrequently Cowdenbeath reach this stage of the Scottish Cup and the last time they done so it happened to be against Rangers, three years ago. That match took place at Ibrox and Rangers ended up winning 5-1 en route to losing the final against Hibs a few months later at Hampden. That’s undoubtedly where Gerrard hopes to take this team back to and they will be very confident of being able to negotiate this third round clash against a team who are 35 places below them in the league tables.
It’s very much one of those games where the home team have little to lose and everything to gain. Rangers will just want to get a professional performance and win the tie with a minimum of fuss ahead of their return to league action next midweek. Cowdenbeath are one of the lowest scorers in League Two which suggests a defensive approach to this game is likely and as such, they may find it difficult to trouble their opponents. Rangers may need to be patient in the opening stages unless they can get an early goal however I fully expect their Premiership class to tell and they can run out comprehensive winners in this match, and book their place in the next round.
