RANGERS embark on another European adventure with a trip to Union Saint-Gilloise in the first leg of the third-round of Champions League qualification on Tuesday night.
After enjoying a remarkable run to last season's Europa League Final, the Light Blues faltered at the last hurdle courtesy of a cruel 5-4 penalty shootout defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt.
That escapade to Seville was set in motion after being knocked out at this stage of Champions League qualification by Malmö 12 months ago so Rangers must be wary of a repeat when they come up against Belgian league shock troops Royale Union Saint-Gilloise
Giovanni van Bronckhorst men warmed up for this crunch clash with a hard-fought Scottish Premiership opening day 2-1 success at Livingston on Saturday, on an afternoon where my main wager in West Lothian landed.
As for Union, they are playing in the Champions League for the first time in their history after finishing as runners-up to Club Brugge last term.
Last time out, Karel Geraerts' side maintained their unbeaten start in the Belgian Pro League with a narrow 1-0 win over Charleroi.
Outright Betting
Union Saint-Gilloise head into their maiden Champions League match as 9/5 (UniBet) outsiders while an all-square first leg affair can be backed at best 12/5 (Unibet) with the same firm.
Rangers, who triumphed in just one of their 10 continental away games last season, make the trip to Brussels as 6/4 favourites with Betfred.
Betting Angles
There isn't a huge amount of appeal in the 1×2 market here but backing both teams to score looks worthy of interest at 4/5 with SBK.
While Rangers have displayed a continued ability to punch well above their weight on the European stage in recent seasons, collecting clean sheets remains an issue.
The Teddy Bears have shut out their opponents on just three occasions across their last 15 European assignments, with van Bronckhorst's backline conceding at least once in each of their last six continental clashes.
What's more, Rangers' rearguard has not exactly been reliable in the Scottish Premiership under the Dutchman's watch, and that was evident once more against Livingston at the weekend.
In fact, Rangers have posted just four clean sheet across their las 13 Scottish Premiership matches and that doesn't bode well given that Union Saint-Gilloise were the highest-scoring side in Belgium's top-flight term.
Having said that, the Glasgow giants have only failed to score in four of their 40 games in all competitions since Giovanni van Bronckhorst took the reins in Govan in late 2021.
With this in mind, as well as the fact that Rangers have scored multiple goals against the likes of Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig in recent times, the visitors should have the tools to carve out opportunities against Karel Geraerts' crew.
It's also worth pointing out that both teams to score has been a winning bet in seven of Rangers' last 10 European matches and that only adds to the appeal of supporting the same selection at the Stade Joseph Marien.
This UEFA Champions League match between Union Saint-Gilloise and Rangers will be played on Aug 2, 2022 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Union Saint-Gilloise vs Rangers prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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