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FC Ufa vs Rangers Predictions

  • 14:00
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  • Stadion Neftyanik
FC Ufa
Rangers

odds when tipped

odds when tipped

odds when tipped

FC Ufa vs Rangers Predictions

Steven Gerrard’s men will be disappointed that they only managed to score one of their six shots on target against the Russians at Ibrox. They now face a potentially tricky journey to the city of Ufa, 800 miles east of Moscow, where they could see their lack of attacking conviction at home come back to bite them on the AstroTurf of the Neftyanik Stadium.

Rangers dominated the proceedings in Scotland as they had three times the amount of accurate shots compared to their opponents and six times the number of corners. Star striker Alfredo Morelos could have had a brace, Daniel Candeias should’ve done better with his long-range effort and James Tavernier planted a free kick in a dangerous area right down the throat of FC Ufa’s ‘keeper Aleksandr Belenov.

This tie should be dead and buried but Rangers have handed themselves a difficult task in Russia as they bid to get into their first European group stage since 2010. The Blues will have hoped for a slaughter at the weekend to bolster their confidence as they faced the then-still-to-score Motherwell at Fir Park. However, after some feisty pre-match conferences where ‘Well captain Peter Hartley joked about Ryan Bowman breaking Alfredo Herrera’s nose last time the ‘Gers came to town. The English centre-back ultimately got a 94th minute equaliser to grab a point for the Steelmen in a crazy game which saw five goals in the first 45 minutes. This kind of high-intensity affair was definitely not what Gerrard would have wished for the weekend before a crucial European clash, but they will have to deal with this disappointing result as they travel to Russia.

Despite qualifying for the Europa League for the first time in the club’s history, via some beneficial circumstances, which included the team originally qualifying for the competition folding and leaving a gap for Ufa, the team have only won two of their ten competitive games so far this season and they currently sit 11th in the Russian Premier League. They needed two late goals to get past their qualifying rounds and have pretty much been stumbling through their matches all season, with just four points in the league and 11 goals conceded. Last year they finished 6th and barely achieved a positive goal difference so it’s clear that this isn’t a team of much quality and they have evidently just chucked everything at their European campaign this season, after somehow finding themselves amongst Europe’s elite in just their ninth year of existence.

They have only scored in one of their five league games in a 3-0 win against Anzhi Makhachkala but have drawn one and lost three of their other matches. To their credit, they have already faced last year’s 1st, 4th, 5th and 8th placed sides but to get only one point from these games when they are supposed to be a side of European pedigree is extremely disappointing.

They have conceded in all but three of their last 18 matches and we expect this to continue but with Ufa having to push for a win in this game, we’re backing them to continue their streak of scoring when away from home in Europe, as they did against Progres Niederkorn and Domzale. Rangers have been pretty solid defensively under Gerrard but with them conceding three at the weekend, it is clear that they can be exploited. Rangers have scored in all but two of their competitive games under the Liverpudlian and we’re expecting them to draw away like they did against Maribor, although we think they’ll have to get a goal in this tight affair for it to finish 1-1.

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