Rangers vs Legia Warsaw Predictions

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard would’ve been hoping to see his side bag an away goal in the first leg, which unfortunately didn’t happen, though the ex-Liverpool captain probably won’t be too disappointed with a 0-0 draw. On their own patch, the Scottish outfit will fancy themselves to get the desired result, though they must tread with caution, as one defensive lapse could cost them. A score-draw is all that Legia need to progress.

Overall, Rangers’ path to the final qualification round has been an uncomplicated one. They’ve flexed their attacking muscles against weak opposition and have generally not had to worry about grinding out a result, though they seemingly met their match last week. In Poland, Rangers struggled to get going offensively, as they came up against a Legia unit that restricted Gerrard’s men to just six shots, only a couple of which forced notable saves from youngster Radoslaw Majecki in the home goal. 0.52 expected goals for tells us that Rangers weren’t overly threatening during the first leg.

While they weren’t at their creative best, Rangers done a reasonable job of restricting their hosts, as they limited Legia to 0.97 expected goals for and just three shots on target.

Neither side will be overly disappointed with the first-leg result; Legia denied Rangers an away goal and will probably fancy themselves to steal something on the road, while Thursday’s hosts will be confident of getting the job done on home soil.

From a betting point of view, ‘Both Teams to Score’ makes plenty of appeal at the current prices. Neither side got on the score-sheet a week ago, nor did they threaten to do so at regular intervals. However, there’s reason to believe that the chances of both notching on Thursday are slightly greater than the current odds would have us believe.

After shading possession in the first leg, Rangers are likely to dominate the ball at Ibrox, which should bode well for the visitors, who thrived – by scoring two goals and creating 1.87 expected goals for – when playing on the break away from home during the previous round. What’s more, Rangers caused Danish side Midtjylland plenty of problems at this venue in the last round, as they scored three goals and created a whopping 3.16 expected goals for. Such numbers bode well for the hosts, though they did give quite a bit away, which is why a clean sheet eluded them.

‘Correct Score’ punters can opt for a 2-1 home win. Rangers did show defensive weaknesses when beating Midtjylland at home during the previous round, though if we consider their overall home efforts in conjunction with Legia’s travelling efforts, the hosts look a good bet to come out on top, even if they are to endure a few rough moments. After all, at home during the previous round, Rangers, who scored three and posted 3.16 goals for, created a good bit more than the visitors, who scored twice and created 1.87, did on the road.