Rangers (Sco) vs Plzen (Cze) prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Qualification betting tips on match 2025-08-04 18:45.
[p]This UEFA Champions League (UCL) third qualifying round first leg sees Rangers and Viktoria PlzeĆ continuing their bids to return to the main stage of Europeâs premier club competition for the first time since 2022/23.[/p]
[p]Match News and Current Form[/p]
[p]New Rangers boss Russell Martin challenged his playersâ mentality and called on some of them to drop their egos after struggling to a 1-1 league draw with Motherwell on Saturday in their Scottish Premiership opener. He was happier with their performance in the previous round against Panathinaikos to get here, when they ran out 3-1 winners on aggregate and for all the new managerâs anger and frustration, the Gers havenât lost since exiting the Europa League quarter-finals in April (W3, D5), suggesting theyâll be hard to break down even if they’re not firing on all cylinders.[/p]
[p]PlzeĆ head to Glasgow fresh and well prepared after their weekend league game against Mlada Boleslav was postponed to maximise their preparation time. Miroslav Koubekâs side have only lost one of their last six matches (W4, D1), and should travel with confidence after beating Servette 3-1 on the road to progress to this stage. While losing the first leg 1-0 was a worry, that remains their only competitive defeat this season (W2, D1) and rebounding from that setback highlights their resilience.[/p]
[p]Head-to-Head History[/p]
[p]These sides have never previously met in competitive action. Rangers are unbeaten across their last three games against Czech sides (W2, D1), and theyâve won five of the six encounters theyâve hosted against such opposition in UEFA competitions (L1). PlzeĆâs only previous experience of playing Scottish teams came last term when they beat Hearts 1-0 home and away in Europa League qualifying.[/p]
[p]Hot Stats and Streaks[/p]
[p]There were exactly two goals in each of Rangersâ three games so far this term (W1, D2).[/p]
[p]None of Rangersâ last three UCL fixtures produced a first-half goal.[/p]
[p]Seven of PlzeĆâs last eight games saw both teams score.[/p]
[p]PlzeĆ have received just two yellow cards across their four games this season.[/p]
[p]Key Players to Watch and Missing Players[/p]
[p]Djeidi Gassama has completed the scoring twice for Rangers this season in Europe, with both strikes arriving after the 55th minute. PlzeĆ captain MatÄj Vydra has netted four times this term – three of those strikes came before half-time and two were match-openers.[/p]
[p]Thelo Asgaard and Hamza Igamane missed Rangersâ draw with Motherwell with minor injuries so may not play a full part here, while PlzeĆ midfielder Adrian ZeljkoviÄ is suspended after he was shown a straight red card against Servette.[/p]
[p]Betting Analysis[/p]
[p]Rangers are favourites, but have started slowly under new management so making a wager on Plzen/Draw in the double chance market is a potentially attractive option.[/p]
[p][i]Author: John Pennington[/i][/p]