Rangers are back in Europe, where they feel comfortable, and put up their best performances. However, they arrive on the back of a damaging Old Firm loss to Celtic at Ibrox, one that will have huge implications on where the title goes this season in Scotland.
So, what will happen with Rangers? Bounce back, or further misery?
Gers to Grab Vital Away Draw
While the game on Sunday will no doubt be firmly in the minds of Rangers fans, if the past is anything to go by, it may not affect the players as much. Yes, they will be disappointed, but we have seen this team excel in Europe, regardless of what has happened in league games before.
Winning in Braga may well be a step too far, and considering this is only the first leg, Rangers don’t actually need to win the game, as they know they have home advantage for the second leg.
Braga will have to attack, but we fancy Rangers to nick a draw and put themselves in pole position going into next week’s contest.
Ramsey to Show Big Game Ability
It is fair to say, plus points on Sunday were pretty thin on the ground for Rangers, but one of them was certainly the performance of Aaron Ramsey. Scoring early, and tiring a little towards the end, Ramsey showed his experience of big games, and used that to drive his team forward in attacking positions.
Look for him to have a similar impact again here, in another huge game. Rangers won’t be as free flowing, being away from home, but when they do get a chance to break, look for Ramsey to get involved.
He is 15/4 to score anytime, and assuming he isn’t asked to sit too deep, he can be around the chances that Rangers have, hopefully putting one away.
All Square Going into the Second Leg
This game has all the hallmarks of one that will be set up beautifully for the return leg next week. Don’t be surprised to see both teams on the score sheet, but also, don’t be surprised to see neither team take home an advantage from the game.
Our final bet? A 1-1 draw, leaving everything to play for at Ibrox next week.
*Please note that all odds are correct at the time of article publication.
