Liam Kelly previews Rangers' Europa League trip to face Braga in Portugal, expecting goals in the quarter-final first leg.
Football betting tips: Europa League
1pt Over 2.5 Goals at 11/10 (bet365, BetVictor)
Rangers attempt to rebound from their devastating defeat to Celtic in the Old Firm derby will come in the shape of a huge European fixture.
Their bitter city rivals exposed a defensive unit that has also struggled in this competition, with Rangers overcoming that by scoring plenty of goals.
That trait was fully on display in the last round. Rangers survived plenty of scares against Crvena Zvezda to progress 5-1 on aggregate, allowing 2.21 and 2.40 expected goals (xG) in the two legs respectively.
The same can be said of their match-ups with Borussia Dortmund. Indeed, OVER 2.5 GOALS has landed in each of their last four Europa League fixtures and their last two Scottish Premiership games. At odds-against, that should be taken in this one.
Up against a Braga side that average 1.55 expected goals for (xGF) per game in the Portuguese league, the visitor's defence could look vulnerable again.
In contrast to their opponents, Braga enter this game on the back of a very encouraging result, beating Benfica 3-2 in their picturesque stadium on Friday night.
Given a significant time to recover by their federation, they can cause a spent Rangers all kinds of problems at the back. Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side won't shirk the challenge, however, often more than capable of being a big threat to solid opposition.
In turn, backing a game filled with chances and goals is the way in from a betting perspective.
Braga v Rangers best bets and score prediction
- 1pt Over 2.5 Goals at 11/10 (bet365, BetVictor)
Score prediction: Braga 2-1 Rangers (Sky Bet odds: 15/2)
Odds correct at 1500 GMT (05/04/21)
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