Thursday evening, at 19:45, Glasgow Rangers meets Russian Ufa FC, in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League play-off. The “Ibrox” match should be defeated in a defensive record, because none of the teams will take many risks.
Without Rossiter, Coulibaly, Dorrans and Wallace, Steven Gerrard knows that a good result in the tour is decisive. Traveling to Russia is very difficult, and the Rangers would feel more comfortable going into the second hand to defend an advantage than to have to attack. Gerrard set up a good mechanism at Rangers, and a qualification in the UEL groups would bring important financial benefits as well as huge satisfaction among the supporters.
So the motivation is maximum and the match on “Ibrox” will be treated as a celebration. FC Ufa is not an experienced team at European level, and the quality is clear on the part of the hosts. Rangers comes after a 3-1 in the Kilmarnock championship, after the white-blue band eliminated Maribor from the 3-up UEL, with 3-1 home and 0-0 away. The return match showed that the Rangers can make impeccable defensive games, exactly what the Scotans need and Thursday night.
FC Ufa has hardly eliminated the Niedercorn Luxembourg players in the previous round, after 2-1 home and 2-2 away. Ufa does not have an impressive attack and his fighters seem rather tough than able. That should be to the advantage of the hosts, who will dominate the hostilities in the first hand. Rangers’ winning odds are quite attractive in these conditions! Ufa comes after disappointing results in the championship, 0-1 at home with Krasnodar and 0-3 at Dinamo Moscow, where rivals Rangers was offended by a more technical opponent.
FC Ufa could be titled the Romanian defender Ionut Nedelcearu, but there is not much talent in the Russian team to worry the Rangers.
PREDICTION: Rangers to win @ 1.60
