Rangers v Sparta Prague

Rangers vs Sparta Prague Preview

This upcoming fixture in Group C between Scottish hosts, Rangers, and their Czech Republic visitors, Sparta Prague, has all the hallmarks of a potential straight shoot-out to claim the second place spot in the group behind the current leaders, Real Betis, when the two teams face off at Ibrox in Thursday night's showdown with Rangers going in search of a fourth win on the trot while Sparta Prague will be seeking a third win on the bounce.

Both Rangers and Sparta Prague sit on four points apiece ahead of this important Matchday 4 encounter but Rangers may feel they hold the edge over their upcoming opponents having held them to a 0-0 draw in Prague in their previous match in Group C along with having won five out of their last six matches in all competitions.

Recent wins on the domestic front in the Scottish Premiership have seen Rangers pick up victories over St Mirren, Hibernian, Hearts and Dundee, along with a win in the League Cup against Hearts will give ‘Gers plenty of confidence as they prepare for Thursday's Europa League tie.

The hosts had started their group campaign in positive fashion as they collected a 1-0 home win against Real Betis but a defeat away from home at Aris Limassol and a 0-0 draw in Prague have slowed down Phillipe Clement's side's progress.

Sparta Prague may also feel they are in with a decent shout of claiming all three points at Ibrox on Thursday night following recent back-to-back wins against Bohemians both in the domestic cup competition and the Czech Liga respectively, while the bigger picture shows the visitors have lost just twice in their previous 15 matches in all competitions.

Results on the Europa League front though have been a little more hit-and-miss for the Czech Republic outfit as Sparta Prague have won just seven out of their last 26 ties overall in this competition.

Dig a little deeper and you'll find that Sparta Prague have picked up six of these seven wins on home soil at their epet ARENA while on the road, form and results have been an utter disaster overall as Brian Priske's side have suffered no fewer than 11 defeats from their last 13 outings on the road at this level.

Goals could also feature here on Thursday night as nine of these last 13 away games have also resulted in Over 2.5 goals being scored (69%).

Rangers v Sparta Prague Verdict

Rangers certainly seem to hold the edge prior to this clash, particularly as the hosts have strung together some important wins of late but the goals market appeals as the main bet with eight of Rangers' last 10 games overall producing three goals or more (80%).

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

Other side bets worth considering:

Rangers win & Over 2.5 goals @ 3.25

Correct Score: Rangers 2-1 @ 9.00