Union Saint-Gilloise vs Rangers Predictions

• Three of Rangers’ last five European away games have featured fewer than three goals.
• Both of Union SG’s league games this season have featured fewer than three goals.

Gers’ boss will set side up to stay in touch

Rangers’ bid to reach the Champions League group stage for the first time in more than a decade gets under way in Belgium on Tuesday when they face a tricky away leg against Union Saint-Gilloise.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side were pushed to their early-season limits by Livingston on Saturday, although they were able to get the job done against a club they usually beat in the end. They are capable of coming back from Brussels with a good result too – but it will be a very different game to the one at Toni Macaroni Arena.

Union SG have a lively front pairing and solid citizens all around the park, but their new coach could get taken to school by the canny Gers boss. They got very defensive after going 1-0 up at home to Sporting Charleroi on Friday and, although they were able to hang on, that could prove costly against accomplished European performers.

Returning Morelos will boost visitors’ cutting edge

The Light Blues may have lost three of their four away games in the knockout stages of last season’s Europa League, but each one was managed in such a way as to ensure they were in good shape for the Glasgow return or to progress after the first leg.

Three of their five European road trips under Van Bronckhorst featured fewer than three goals and that looks the best way to attack this game from a punting perspective. Union SG lost their leading scorer from last season in the summer and his replacement is still finding his feet there – leading to both of their domestic matches this term finishing with under 2.5 goals.

Rangers will hope Alfredo Morelos is ready to feature at some stage, as Antonio Colak looked a bit out of touch on Saturday, and if he is there’s a pretty good chance the visitors get a goal to give the Govan public a live tie to enjoy in the return leg.   A 1-1 draw is forecast because Rangers failed to keep a clean sheet in their last six European away games, including the final defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in Seville.