RANGERS are 180 minutes away from a return to Scotland's top flight but Motherwell are determined to block their path.
The first leg of the play-off final is at Ibrox on Thursday with the return at Fir Park on Sunday.
Motherwell have a terrible record against Rangers, especially in Glasgow, and the Championship side are favourites for promotion. Many of Well's defeats came when current Rangers boss Stuart McCall was in charge in Lanarkshire and his presence in the dugout adds intrigue to the contest.
Opinions are split about which side will progress – will Rangers be tired after already playing four play-off ties or will they rise to the occasion backed by a frenzied crowd.
Or will Motherwell's big players such as Scott McDonald, Stephen Pearson and Lionel Ainsworth prove to be a difference. All will be revealed on Thursday and I'll have a separate preview on both matches.
Meanwhile, William Hill's Owen Scott has been looking at the stats and he's come up with some specials but remember these are not tips.
Dean Shiels scored the last time Rangers beat Motherwell.
SHIELS TO SCORE AND RANGERS WIN 19-5
Rangers have kept a clean sheet in six of their last seven matches against
Motherwell, winning five of them.
RANGERS TO WIN TO NIL 3-1
Rangers scored in both halves in their
first leg match against Hibs.
RANGERS TO SCORE IN BOTH HALVES 5-2
Brothers Nicky and Josh Law will go
head to head in the play-offs.
NICKY OR JOSH TO SCORE 6-1.
NICKY AND JOSH TO SCORE 28-1.
WHO WILL SCORE THE MOST GOALS
Nicky Law 1-7
Josh Law 4-1
Draw = Void Bet.
Scott McDonald famously scored the
goals that beat Celtic to give Rangers
the title in 2005. Can he do the
same against Rangers?
McDONALD TO SCORE AND MOTHERWELL WIN 9-2
Former Celtic defender Stephen McManus
will be keen to grab a goal against
Rangers.
McMANUS TO SCORE ANYTIME 7-1
Stephen Pearson has already scored a
winner in the play-offs when he helped
Derby beat WBA in 2007.
PEARSON TO SCORE AND MOTHERWELL WIN 7-1
Resident football tipster at Scotland's most read newspaper, the Daily Record, for over 20 years and proud host of one the best betting communities on the web with daily betting tips.
All the stats above are irelevent. I want Sevco stats ;)
mcdonald, McManus and Pearson to score 3-0. McCall is on a giro that’s my prediction
ZALIUKAS ANYTIME GOALSCORER 16/1 (CORAL)
Think rangers will edge the first leg 2-1
Motherwell haven’t beaten Rangers for 13 years. Home or away, with a Rangers minded manager or Celtic minded manager, makes no difference. The Steelmen are owned by Rangers. I don’t know of a more one-sided fixture in the game.
baldy45, I know the stats and of course so does McCall. But those games were in different times when Rangers were competing for the SPL title – as long Motherwell players don’t dwell on them they shouldn’t mean much.
If st mirren can beat well then so can the gers..
jamesy, that comment makes no sense. It’s like saying if Alloa can beat Gers so can Well. It will be all about who turns up on the night, who can handle the occasion. What happened a few weeks ago makes no difference.
will be going for a defender longshot to score will wait till line ups…………
poor rangers side and looked tired on sun but hard to see past them at evens……………. donno
is Wallace suspended for the game mr f? thought read it somewhere
craneguy, I’ll check full team news before I do my write-up but having noticed that. McGregor is out the second leg though.
Mr F
Gareth Ainsworth? Have we made a new signing?
Baldy45
The Steelmen aren’t owned by anyone, certainly not rangers. They barely own themselves – that dubious honour belongs to Big Mike Ashley.
Agree with Mr F: Concentrating on Stats for a game like this doesn’t make sense to me as it is a true one off affair albeit over 2 legs.
Motherwell will be looking to keep it tight: a draw or narrow defeat at ibrokes will leave everything to play for at FP on Sunday. That will be Baraclough’s gameplan. So I’ll be concentrating on Unders. One unusual bet that grabbed my attention was Both halves under 1.5 match goals with BetBright @6/5
Until the first leg is out the way there will be limited betting opportunities for the return but 13/10 with BET365 for a Well win on Sunday looks huge: If Hibs can do it so can ‘Well. Plus for the return will see McGregor (arguably rangers most creative option) suspended.
A BLACK, apologies to his brother Lionel.
Mr F, the last time they met (in the cup), Rangers were in the bottom tier, stripped of their best players and Motherwell were the 2nd best side in the SPL, and bang in form. Rangers were there for the taking that night. But they still beat Motherwell 2-0. If this was a one-off game, to be played to the finish, Motherwell would stand a better chance. But over 2 legs the inferiority complex is too much to overcome. It’s just my opinion of course, but I am very very confident I’ll be collecting my winnings here.
baldy45, I remember the game well – Stuart McCall was in charge and Clydebank would have beaten Motherwell that night they were that bad. It will be a really close contest over two legs and one moment of quality or one mistake could settle it. No one’s going to run away with this.
Was just meaning against st mirren they didnt look good but think the gers will win on the night even with the occasion
Motherwell have a terrible record in knockout competitions in recent years. Although, to be fair (and ironically) that’s when Stuart McCall was their manager.
I agree with Craneguy and I’ll be backing Rangers. It’s difficult to tell where the two sides are in terms of their respective quality, but the momentum seems to be with Rangers, Motherwell have been terrible away, and the last time the sides met, Rangers were in the Third Division and there still seemed to be this mental block for Motherwell.
That was a few years back now and Motherwell have a new manager who has improved them over certain periods.
Here’s my full reasoning:
MOtherwell have not defeated Rangers since 2002 (39 matches, 30 defeats), have not won at Ibrox since 1997 (30 matches, 26 defeats) and haven’t even managed a goal in their last four visits there. It may be argued that this is a weaker side from the many that chalked up those many victories over Motherwell. However, the previous meeting between these sides saw Rangers, then in the bottom tier, run out 2-0 victors.
It’s not just the head-to-head that makes grim reading for Motherwell. Rangers are unbeaten in nine matches at home, have scored in all of those nine and have scored more than two goals in six of their last seven at Ibrox – including in their two recent play-off matches. By contrast, Motherwell haven’t won any of their last three matches away from Fir Park and have lost an incredible 13 of their last 15 away. Home and away, they have conceded in five of their last six (the one game they didn’t was a dead-rubber v Partick Thistle last week) and have conceded in all of their last 10 away matches – they have conceded more than one goal in nine of those 10.
Recommended bets:
Rangers to win 21/20
Rangers to score two goals or more goals in the match @ 11/10
Craig, I’m sorry in this case the stats and history lesson don’t mean much. Apart from that cup game when Well were terrible and McCall was in charge the rest of the meetings were when Rangers were a top-flight force.
You can’t compare form either because while Rangers were playing sides such as Cowdenbeath, Alloa and Livingston it was the likes of Celtic, Aberdeen and Dundee Utd for Well.
Having said that it’s too close to call to be honest.
I just think that some teams are playing Rangers the name and not Rangers the team on these occasions. Inverness, one of the top teams in the country this season, went to Ibrox and lost 1-0; St Johnstone, another good Scottish Premiership side, went to Ibrox and lost 1-0 this season.
Motherwell have a goalkeeper who has an error in him, a defence that has leaked goals all season, and away form that is worse than St Mirren’s.
I’m not saying that Rangers will progress, but I fancy them to win the first leg.
Nicky or Josh Law to score @ 6/1. Where can I find this? It’s not on William Hill’s website
Chris, might be shops only – it’s a special put out by Owen Scott. I’ll let him know they’re not online and he can maybe get it sorted.
Chris guy-I can’t find it either,nice to see you back mate
Hi Tattoogaz I’ve been great thanks, just been busy dealing with work at family life. I’m with Raaljaca, Zaliukas to score anytime at 16/1 is huge.
Chris, most of the specials put up by Owen can be done online but the Law one is for shops only. If you go to a shop and have any problems as them to phone him – he’s in Shortless today.
I’d agree with you that it should be close and the tie still up for grabs in the 2nd leg. But the closer it gets, the more bottle comes into it. That’s where Motherwell lose.
3.0 to the well how everyone was wrong
Daveybaby, I tried to warn people off backing Rangers all day – and plenty of Rangers fans will back their team to turn it round. Remember Hamilton lost last week’s final 2-0 at home and still went up.
Even your wrong Davey and its been finished for ages ..3-1 lol
3-1 @ 60/1 from betvictor… Price drifts almost on all rangers matches. Happy days!