Football
Football
Match Report
Gambling
News

Manchester United vs Glasgow Rangers Preview: Tips, Odds and Predictions

Ruben Amorim and his squad welcome Rangers in a Thursday night fixture in the Europa League at Old Trafford. This will be the first time these two teams face off in Europe’s second-tier competition, having played most of their games in the Champions League. This will be an important match for both teams as they seek to stay in the automatic quarterfinal qualification zone and Europa League betting fans are in full anticipation, looking for the best tips, odds and predictions.

Jimmy Modise
Jimmy Modise

Last Updated: 2024-12-24

Chad Nagel

6 minutes read

Manchester United FC v Glasgow Rangers

Manchester United FC v Glasgow Rangers//Getty Images

Manchester United vs Glasgow Rangers Preview

Rangers will make the trip to Old Trafford for a Europa League game against a Manchester United side that has done well so far in the competition. 

In their last three games, they secured nine crucial points to put them in seventh place with twelve points and fifteen goals scored, joint-highest with Olympique Lyon.

Their game management has let them down and were it not for that aspect, they would probably be in the top three positions. In most matches, they either trailed or came back to force a draw or a win, and in others, they lost the lead to draw, such as was the case in their 1-1 stalemate with Fenerbahce.

Rangers, on the other hand, have been inconsistent but find themselves in a good position, just one point behind their hosts. They do have good results though in that stretch of games, having beaten Nice 4-1 and forced 1-1 draws with Tottenham Hotspur and Olympiacos.

Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability: United Expected to Clinch This One

  1. Home 9/25 (1.36) 73.5%

  2. Draw 21/5 (5.20) 19.2%

  3. Away 36/5 (8.20) 12.2%

  4. *Odds courtesy of Betway, subject to change

Head-to-Head record

Rangers are yet to beat Manchester United any in meeting despite being a top team in Scotland. Only five meetings have taken place between these two, with the most recent being a friendly in July 2024, which United won by 2-0.

Last 5 Meetings

  1. 20/07/24: Manchester United 2-0 Glasgow Rangers

  2. 24/11/10: Glasgow Rangers 0-1 Manchester United

  3. 14/09/10: Manchester United 0-0 Glasgow Rangers

  4. 04/11/03: Manchester United 3-0 Glasgow Rangers

Manchester United Current Form in the Europa League – WWWDD

Their fortunes in Europe have been far better than their record in the Premier league currently. United have not lost a game in their five matches in the Europa League and have won three consecutive games against Plzen, Bodo/Glimt and POAK. Their scoring in those games is worth noting as they scored five, and the two draws they played were score draws of 1-1 and 3-3 against Fenerbahce and FC Porto. 

Bruno Fernandes of Manchester

Bruno Fernandes//Getty Images

Key Players to Watch

  • Andre Onana: Onana’s only clean sheet in Europe was in a 2-0 win over POAK on the seventh of November and since then he has let in three goals against Plzen and Bodo/Glimt. Despite that overall record, he has been key for his team and the difference in games were they secured the much-needed points.
  • Amad Diallo: With a new lease on life under the new manager, Diallo has proven to be a clutch player for his team and has done well in recent games, with the standout being the 2-1 win over their City rivals where scored the winning goal. We expect him to do well against a relatively weaker team.
  • Diogo Dalot: In Amorim’s setup, Dalot plays a wingback role and covers a lot of ground on the left side of the pitch. His foraging runs and ability to whip in crosses will come in handy on the night.

Manchester United News

Victor Lindelof is set to leave United when his contract expires at the end of July 2025, while Marcus Rashford, a divisive figure in the squad, is probably also set for departure come the January transfer window.

Glasgow Rangers Current Form in the Europa League – DWDWL

Rangers’ European form indicates some inconsistency as they haven’t been able to string together a good run of results. But they have been able to secure valuable points for themselves with eight won in their last four games, placing them number eight on the table just below their opponents with a point difference. Their goals tally is positive, with thirteen goals scored and only seven conceded. 

Key Players to Watch

  • Mohammed Diomande: A utility midfielder who can play a deep-lining role and a more creative one just behind the strikers, Diomande is one of the standout players to watch for on the day.
  • Cyriel Dessers: A proven goal scorer but yet to fire properly in Europe, Dessers will start over Igamane owing to his experience. The former, with his Premier League experience, will know how to approach such games with a leadership role also expected from him on the pitch
  • Leon Balogun: A solid backline will be the difference for a Rangers team that comes into the game as underdogs and with Balogun in the heart of defence, they have an outside chance of fighting for something. The Nigerian’s physical strength will come in handy against the likes of Zirkzee and Hojlund, should he get a chance.

Glasgow Rangers News

Philippe Clement is still without the services of Naraysho Kasanwirjo who is expected to return on January 27th, and will most likely not feature in this game. While Rabbi Matondo is nursing a minor thigh injury and will be up to shape in no time.

Predicted Line-ups

  1. Manchester United: 3-4-2-1

    Onana, Martinez, Maguire, Mazraoui, Dalot, Ugarte, Casemiro, Malacia, Fernandes, Diallo, Zirkzee

  2. Glasgow Ranger: 4-2-3-1

    Butland, Fraser, Propper, Balogun, Tavernier, Raskin, Bajrami, Jefte, Diomande, Sterling, Dessers

Suggested Bets

If you’re into football betting, we’ve outlined some suggested wagers below, designed to help you make informed decisions. For a wider selection of sportsbooks offering competitive odds, head over to our top betting platforms page."

  1. Overs/Unders – Over 2.5: Goals will be a fixture in this game, more so coming from the home team. This a game they can use to bounce back, especially so with their struggles in the Premier League in mind. Their games in the Europa League have produced goals, with several of them resulting in the market and that has been the case for Rangers as well. (14/25 with Betway)

  2. Match Result (1X2) – Manchester United: At home and looking at the teams pound for pound, Ruben Amorim’s men should walk this game. This a fixture we believe should be easy for them although Rangers won’t just sit back. A home win is very probable here. (9/25 with Betway).

  3. 1st Goal – Manchester United: Home advantage and the favourites tag for Manchester United are the barometers we used for this market and the fact that Rangers are yet to beat them in five encounters, let alone score a goal. The best result they’ve forced was a 0-0 draw, the rest were all United wins. (8/25 with Betway).

Value Bets

  1. 1X2 and Both Teams to Score – Yes: Overall, both teams have played a total of nine games in the competition which resulted in both teams scoring. Four out of six for Rangers, and five out of six for Manchester United. The possibilities of the market resulting are thus very high. (17/10 with Betway).

  2. Goal Range – 4-5 Goals: We predict there will be goals in this match looking at all the six games both teams have played respectively. The range will therefore be high, between four to five goals. This is a very good market to look at. (119/100 with Betway)

  3. Both Halves Over 1.5 – Yes: We like to make sure there is some correlation in the markets we suggest and decided to go with this one because it will go well with the goal range bet. And since we predict a high-scoring game, we believe both halves will produce more than one goal. (3/1 with Betway).

Prediction: Manchester United Win and Both Teams to Score

United having the higher win probability of 73.5% will walk this game and it will definitely be a catalyst for a change in form overall for them. Both teams have the ability to score and we have no doubt that Rangers, although they’ll lose the game, will break down their opponents and get either a goal or two. 

Jimmy Modise
Jimmy ModiseSports Writer

Jimmy is based in Johannesburg, South Africa and has a Diploma in Journalism and Media Studies. He’s a sports fanatic of several sporting disciplines which he is well versed with.