RANGERS welcome dangerous dark horses Red Star Belgrade to Ibrox for the first leg of their Last 16 clsh on Thursday.
The Ibrox side needed a late goal at the weekend to finally break down the stubborn resistance of Aberdeen at home.
It was their second 1-0 win in a row and although they haven't lost since their Old Firm hammering at the beginning of last month, they remain a long way from their best.
Red Star Belgrade will travel to Scotland full of confidence. They have won six of their last seven games including an Eternal Derby success over Serbian league leaders Partizan Belgrade and romped to a 5-0 win over admittedly appalling Novi Pazar at the weekend to mark their 77th birthday in style.
But having eliminated European heavyweights Borussia Dortmund in the last round, Rangers won't be afraid of anyone.
And Red Star have already lost to Midtjylland and Sherrif Tiraspol in Europe this season and lost their unbeaten domestic record they held last term when they won 34 out of 38 league games.
How the bookies view it
Rangers are odds-on favourites across the board and SBK's 7/9 is the best price going. The Serbs can be backed at 17/4 with Unibet. The draw is 14/5 with Paddy Power.
Recent head to heads
Rangers won the last meeting between the sides 15 years ago with a 1-0 win in Glasgow which was followed up with a goalless draw in Belgrade.
But Red Star defeated Rangers comfortably on their way to winning the European Cup in 1991, although Rangers won through in a play-off game in the European Cup in 1964.
Here's Red Star's 5-0 weekend win at the Marakana below.
Players to watch
Alfredo Morelos loves a goal in the Europa League and is closing in on Henrik Larsson's record in this competition of 48 goals. He's 6/5 to score anytime with bet365.
Rangers would be well advised to look after Norwegian hitman Ohi Omoijuanfo. He's second only to Robert Lewandowski in the European Golden Shoe race and is a predator. He's also 6/5 with bet365 to score on Thursday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Rangers face a tough test here. The Serbians are absolutely no mugs and love a goal or two. Dejan Stankovic has them very well organised and they break at speed.
The hosts look too short for this and it could pay off to back Red Star on the double chance of a win or a draw at 23/20 with Paddy Power.
With Rangers going for a home advantage in the first leg, they should comfortably pile up the corners. They managed 11 on their own against the Dons at the weekend and bet365's 6/5 for over ten looks a nice price.
This UEFA Europa League match between Rangers and Red Star Belgrade will be played on Mar 10, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Rangers vs Red Star Belgrade prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
