RANGERS’ Europa League fate is hanging by a thread ahead of their final Group C game with Real Betis on Thursday night.
While the Light Blues are currently occupying second spot in the section, they will most likely have to secure all three points in Spain to stand any chance of progressing to the knockout phase.
Philippe Clément's crew blew a golden opportunity to rubber-stamp a top-two berth when being held to a deflating 1-1 draw with Aris Limassol at Ibrox a fortnight ago.
However, the Scottish giants have yet to taste defeat under their Belgian boss, with Saturday’s 3-1 win over Dundee in the Scottish Premiership extending their unbeaten run to 12 matches.
As for Real Betis, they remain top of the group despite their 1-0 loss at Sparta Prague on matchday five, and now know that a point would be enough to ensure they progress from the pool.
Manuel Pellegrini’s men demonstrated just how tough of a nut they are to crack on home turf when holding Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw in La Liga on Saturday.
Outright Betting
Real Betis are 17/20 favourites at Ladbrokes to bank the three points that would guarantee they win the group.
Rangers won the reverse fixture at Ibrox but the same outcome here is as big as 7/2 (UniBet) while a share of the Seville spoils can be backed at 29/10 (William Hill).
Betting Angles
Real Betis are rightful favourites on Thursday night and I’m prepared to back the home team to prevail at 17/20 with Ladbrokes.
The Green-and-Whites have done the majority of their best work on home soil in Europe this season, having already put both Sparta Prague and Aris Limassol to the sword.
While Betis are currently sitting at the top spot of Group C, Manuel Pellegrini will be determined to see his side win the section as that would send them straight into the last 16.
As such, the La Liga outfit should be fully motivated to bank all three points on Thursday evening and I suspect they will do just that against a Rangers side that have recorded just two clean sheets across their last 20 European away matches.
It’s also worth noting that the Light Blues have won just one their last 13 continental contests outside of Scotland, which doesn’t bode well ahead of this week’s visit to the Estadio Benito Villamarín.
Therefore, with all things considered, backing the hosts to claim top honours on Thursday night holds plenty of appeal at 17/20 (Ladbrokes).
On a similar line of reasoning to the above, I’ll also back Betis to score Over 1.5 Team Goals at 17/20 with William Hill.
This bet would have paid out in Green-and-Whites previous two Group C home games and I see no reason to oppose a repeat here given that a draw doesn't really suit either side.
This UEFA Europa League match between Real Betis and Rangers will be played on Dec 14, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Real Betis vs Rangers prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
