RANGERS missed the chance to clinch Europa League qualification last Thursday night but Steven Gerrard's side will get a second opportunity to seal their passage to the knockout stage when they lock horns with Standard Liege at Ibrox.
The Light Blues were on course to qualify with two games to spare before Benfica stunned Rangers with a second late comeback in three weeks to pinch a point in a pulsating 2-2 draw in Glasgow.
Consequently, both Rangers and Benfica are currently tied at the top of table on eight points apiece but the Teddy Bears are still in the driving seat to reach the knockout rounds.
Gerrard's Gers warmed up for this crunch Europa League clash by cruising into the Betfred Cup quarter-finals with a comfortable 4-0 win over Falkirk.
Standard Liege, meanwhile, have lost three of their opening four Group D games, one of which was a 2-0 loss to Rangers in the reverse fixture back in October.
Closer to home Philippe Montanier's men have made a mixed start to their Belgian Pro League campaign and come into this clash on the back of a dour 0-0 draw away at Anderlecht.
Outright Betting
Rangers have lost just one of their last 21 European assignments at Ibrox and Teddy Bears triumph is heavily fancied on Thursday night at a best 4/9 with William Hill.
Standard Liege are winless in nine Europa League road trips and that is reflected in the odds with an away win priced up at 6/1 with BetVictor, while the draw is an unfancied 19/5 with UniBet.
Betting Angles
Rangers unbeaten start to the season can be attributed to their remarkable clean sheet record – the Scottish Premiership pacesetters have racked up a staggering 18 shutouts across 23 matches in all competitions so far.
One of those lean defensive displays that the Ibrox faithful have become accustomed to was a 2-0 win in Liege and that could see value lie with the 6/4 that is available with Bet 365 for Rangers to win to nil on Thursday night.
Indeed, those odds make appeal however, I'm more attracted to the 10/11 on offer with Betway for the Light Blues to win a game that features under five match goals.
Taking this approach would have banked profit in 16 of Rangers 19 victories this season and with that in mind, I'm more than happy to support another Rangers win and under 4.5 goals in Govan.
What's more, the above-mentioned combination has clicked each of Standard's three Group D defeats to date and I like the look of siding with a repeat here given that Rangers have racked up nine clean sheets across their last 11 matches.
I'll also head to the Bet Builder market and combine over one Rangers goal and over 1 Standard Liege card, a 4/5 shot with Bet 365.
Rangers have scored two or more goals in six of their last seven Europa League tussles on home turf and they will play host to a Standard Liege team who have collected two or more cards in all four of their group games thus far.
It's also worth noting that this betting angle banked when these two sides squared off in Belgium, and that adds to the appeal of siding with the same formula on Thursday night.
This UEFA Europa League match between Rangers and Standard Liege will be played on Dec 3, 2020 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Rangers vs Standard Liege prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
