Rangers vs NK Osijek Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Rangers are preparing for their first league game of the season this week, but first they have European commitments to worry about. Before Steven Gerrard can focus on Aberdeen this week, his men host Osijek on Thursday night. They hold a 1-0 lead after their clash in Croatia, and the former Liverpool man will be expecting his new side to pull off another victory this week, and book a place in the Third Qualifying round of Europe’s second tier tournament. Can the Croatian visitors do anything to prevent that?

The Gers were solid in their visit to Croatia, with Alfredo Morelos scoring the only goal of the game to secure a crucial result on the road. Gerrard went in to the game talking about his experiences winning on the road with Liverpool in Europe, and he pulled off a display which former his former boss Rafa Benitez would have been proud of. They secured the perfect kind of European away result and performance, and that’s set them up perfectly for this clash at Ibrox.

While Osijek have an uphill battle to qualify, they head here on the back of a 4-1 victory over Hajduk Split. That impressive win is bound to have increased confidence, and they’ll be looking to match their famous European wins of the past. Beating PSV 1-0 home and away last season was a huge moment for the club, and with a past like that they are going to be a threat in Thursday’s second leg.

However, Rangers seem to be in no mood to slip up here. They won 3-0 in a friendly clash with Wigan at the weekend, following up two wins and a draw in the Europa League. They are set to concede a goal under Gerrard, and continuing that record would be enough to take them through. However, Ibrox is going to be packed with fans demanding another victory, and the Gers will be out to warm up for the new league campaign with a victory.

They meet an Osijek side who are in awful form on their travels. They’re failed to win their previous five trips, while they’ve won just one of their last 14 on the road in all competitions. That seems perfect for the Gers ahead of this clash, and we expect them to claim another victory to progress in Europe. A home win seems like great value here, while we see the hosts claiming a narrow 1-0 victory to booked their spot in the next round.