Rangers vs Braga
20th February 2000hrs
Football – Europe – UEFA Europa League
Pick Draw
Bookmaker Bet365
Odds: 12/5 odds taken 1420 GMT, Wednesday 19 February
Steven Gerrard’s Rangers welcome Ruben Amorim’s Braga to Ibrox Stadium for the first leg of their UEFA Europa League Round of 32 tie on Thursday night. The second game will take place at the Estadio Municipal de Braga next week. Can the Gers take a lead to Portugal, or will the visitors leave Scotland with a positive result? We have the best odds and top tips for this intriguing European clash.
Table of Contents
Rangers Preview – Can the Gers take a lead to Portugal?
Rangers booked their place in the last 32 by finishing second in Group G. Portuguese outfit Porto won the group with ten points, with the Gers just a point adrift. The Scottish Premiership team beat Young Boys to the runners-up spot by a single point. Overall, Rangers won two, drew three and lost one.
Since the turn of the year, Steven Gerrard’s men have been in patchy form. Rivals Celtic have moved a staggering ten points clear at the top of the Premiership table, as the Teddy Bears have taken just 13 points from a possible 21. Meanwhile, the Hoops have taken maximum points since losing to Rangers at Celtic Park in late December.
Rangers will be hoping to go far in this season’s Europa League. However, Braga will be formidable opponents over the two legs. You can’t help but feel that Rangers need to take a lead to Portugal to stand any realistic chance of going through. Can the Scottish giants claim a crucial home victory on Thursday?
Braga Preview – Will the Portuguese outfit give Rangers problems at Ibrox?
Braga head to Scotland in superb form. The Archbishops, who currently sit pretty in third spot in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, have won eight and drawn one of nine in all competitions since losing to Pacos Ferreira in league action back on December 15th.
Minhotos beat Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolverhampton Wanderers to top spot in Europa League Group K to seal their passage through to the Round of 32. Braga picked up an impressive 14 points, winning four and drawing two of six. When they visited Molineux back in September, Ricardo Horta was on the scoresheet in a 1-0 away win.
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Braga were tricky customers for Wolves in the group stage, and Ruben Amorim’s troops are more than capable of giving Rangers problems at Ibrox. Also, the Portuguese outfit are very hard to topple at the Estadio Municipal de Braga. Before a ball has been kicked in this knockout tie, the bookies have Braga as the odds-on favourites to go through.
Rangers vs Braga Betting Advice
Rangers have made an indifferent start to 2020. However, Gerrard’s men have been solid at home pretty much all season, with just rivals Celtic winning on their patch this term. Since that 2-0 reverse on September 1st, the Gers have dropped just two Premiership points on their own patch.
Key Facts – Rangers vs Braga Betting Tip
- Only Celtic have won at Ibrox this season
- Braga are unbeaten in nine in all competitions, winning eight and drawing one
- This will be the first ever meeting between the two clubs
As for Braga, they are a very strong away team. The Archbishops have won each of their last five away matches across all competitions. In the Europa League group stage, Braga picked up nine points from a possible nine on the road.
Rangers will be desperate for a win on their own patch, but we can see the visitors holding the Gers to a frustrating stalemate in Glasgow on Thursday night. You can get the draw at the solid odds of 12/5.
The best betting odds for Rangers vs Braga
Rangers to win: 6/5 at Bet365
Draw: 12/5 at Bet365
Braga to win: 9/4 at Bet365
