Rangers v Real Betis

Rangers vs Real Betis Preview

Onto Group C and there is British interest in this opening game of the group as Rangers take on Real Betis in what promises to be an intriguing contest in Glasgow at Ibrox with both teams looking to have a decent chance of achieving a top two finish in the group and progress through to the knockout rounds of this season's competition.

Rangers had previously progressed through the earlier qualifying rounds of the Champions League with wins against Swiss club, Servette, 3-2 on aggregate but then the Scottish giants fell at the final hurdle in the play-offs after being dealt a comprehensive 7-3 defeat on aggregate to Dutch side, PSV.

Rangers therefore drop down into the group stage of the Europa League but although they've suffered defeats to PSV 5-1 in the 2nd leg of their Champions League tie as well as the Old Firm defeat to Celtic, Rangers will still feel confident about their chances of a result here on Thursday night with home support behind them.

Recent wins in the Scottish Premiership against Livingston, Ross County and St Johnstone should give Michael Beale's side a lift for this tie along with being unbeaten in their last six home ties in the Europa League, capturing five wins in the process, four games of which have resulted in Over 2.5 goals.

It will be interesting to see how Real Betis respond to their heavy 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Barcelona over the weekend in the Spanish top flight when the Spaniards arrive in Glasgow for this opening game of Group B in the Europa League as the visitors have produced a mixed bag of results so far.

In La Liga, Real Betis have picked up domestic wins against Villarreal and Rayo Vallecano along with being dealt defeats by Athletic Bilbao 4-2 and the aforementioned capitulation against Barcelona, so the straight win markets may not be the best option when looking at the Spanish visitors!

However, goals also look likely from Real Betis' point of view as three of their five games to date this season have resulted in Over 2.5 goals and although they've lost their last two Europa League ties on the trot home and away to Manchester United, five of Real Betis' last 10 ties overall in this competition have also produced three goals or more.

Switch to results away from home in the Europa League and you'll find that seven of Real Betis' last 10 outings on the road have also seen Over 2.5 goals scored.

Rangers v Real Betis Verdict

Both Rangers and Real Betis have been subject to some real beatings of late but both clubs are more than capable of hitting the back of the net as well, so a few goals could unfold here on Thursday night.

Therefore, our main bet will be Over 2.5 goals @ 1.90

Other side bets worth considering:

Rangers win @ 2.62

Correct score: Rangers 2-1 @ 10.00