Football
Europa League: Rangers vs Tottenham Preview Odds, Tips and Prediction
55-time Scottish League winners Rangers FC play host to North London giants Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday, December 12 in the UEFA Europa League. At the time of writing, both clubs are sitting in the top 10 of the 36-strong Europa League table, topped by Lazio, who are unbeaten in four. Ange Postecoglou and his Lilywhites thumped Man City 4-0 in their last Premier League game, so the champion killers will either be feared or respected, or both, when they make the 400-mile trip north to Glasgow.
Son Heung-Min//Getty Images
Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability: Spurs Clear Favourites
Home: 9/5 (2.80) – 35,7%
Draw: 51/20 (3.55) – 28,2%
Away: 143/100 (2.43) – 41,2%
*Odds courtesy of Betway, subject to change
Head-to-Head Record
Last Four Meetings
23/07/2023: Rangers 1-2 Tottenham
28/07/2004: Rangers 2-0 Tottenham
31/10/1962: Tottenham 5-2 Rangers
11/12/1962: Rangers 2-3 Tottenham
Rangers: Form – DWDWLW
Manager Philippe Clement is under scrutiny from Rangers fans at the moment, with the club currently third in the Scottish Premiership and trailing the league leaders, Celtic, by 11 points already after just a dozen games.
Not only that, the level of football on display has been less than pleasing, so the Belgian is fighting for his job with each result. At the time of writing, they were unbeaten in their last four games, with just one loss in six.
In the Europa League, they have won two, lost two, which positioned them in 10th place, just three places off Tottenham.
Key Players To Watch
- Vaclev Cerny – The right winger is currently on loan from Bundesliga club Vfl Wolfsburg, but has already popped up with five goals in just 10 matches this season. The speedy and technically skilful left-footed player has played for all the Czech Republic teams, from under 16s right the way through to the men’s national squad, where he has scored six times in 17 appearances.
- Cyriel Dessers – Nigerian International Cyriel Kolawole Dessers is the Rangers No.9, with 20 goals in 46 games for The Teddy Bears.
- James Tavernier – The right back from Bradford is a Rangers legend, having been inducted into the Rangers Hall of Fame in 2023, after playing over 300 games and scoring 90 goals for the Scottish outfit. He is the highest-scoring defender in British football history.
Rangers Team News
New CEO Patrick Stewart is set to take over on December 16 and could well shake things up at the club.
Neraysho Kasanwirjo picked up an injury playing for the Netherlands Under 21s, so will be left out of the squad for the foreseeable.
Leeds United attacker, Joe Gelhardt, is a loan target for The Gers in January.
Rangers FC’s top goalscorer is Ally McCoist with 355 goals.
Tottenham: Current Form – WLLWWL
At the time of writing, Spurs had won three and lost three in their last six games. Incredibly, that form includes two wins over the champions Man City.
After disappointingly losing to Crystal Palace on October 27, they were able to defeat Man City in the Caraboa Cup just three days later. Then came a whopping 4-1 win over Aston Villa at home on November 3. But, a brace of defeats to Galatasaray in the Europa League, then Ipswich at home in the EPL, brought them crashing back down to earth.
However, a 4-0 walloping of the defending champions Man City on November 23 shocked the whole of the UK, as Tottenham took sixth place in the EPL with the resounding victory.
Key Players To Watch
- Dominic Solanke – The 27-year-old speedy striker joined the Lilywhites in the summer and has already bagged four goals in nine appearances. The England international came on in the 75th minute of England’s 5-0 win over Republic of Ireland on November 17.
- Son Heung-min – The versatile forward is quick and explosive, resulting in 123 goals in 311 games for Spurs. He is the biggest star in the team since the departure of the club’s all-time highest goalscorer, Harry Kane.
- James Maddison – The 27-year-old attacking midfielder is an FA Cup winner with his previous club Leicester City but is now a firm fixture in Tottenham’s starting line-up since joining in 2023.
Tottenham Team News
Pape Matar Sarr’s precise 25-yard strike against Man City has been voted ‘Goal of the Round’ for the fourth round of the Carabao cup.
Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been given a huge seven-match ban and £100k fine by the FA for using a racial slur against teammate Son Heung-min, so will be left out until Boxing Day.
Spurs are targeting Valencia and Spain midfielder, Javi Guerra, in the transfer market, as well as Bournemouth and Ukraine defender, Illia Zabarnyi.
Tottenham were the first British team to win a European competition in 1963, when they won the European Cup winners Cup with a 5-1 win over Atletico Madrid in Rotterdam. Club legend Jimmy Greaves scored two goals in that game.
Predicted Line-Ups
Rangers: 4-4-2: Butland; Sterling, Souttar, Propper, Jefte; Raskin, Barron, Tavernier, Cerny; Bajrami, Dessers.
Tottenham: 4-3-3: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Dragusin, Udogie; Kulusevski, Sarr, Bissouma; Johnson, Solanke, Son.
Suggested Bets
If you love betting on football, here are some bets you can place at some of the top football sportsbooks.
Both Teams to Score: Rangers have hit the net in all of their last six matches and Spurs scored 13 goals in five games, there’s a strong chance we could see goals at both ends of the pitch. (59/100 with Betway) (59/100 with Supabets) (31/50 with 1Win)
2nd Half – Both Teams to Score: Big games often tend to open up later, increasing the chances of both sides scoring in the second half. This bet appears to offer more value and could be worthwhile. (19/10 with Betway) (171/100 with Supabets) (177/100 with 1Win)
Over 2.5 Goals: Spurs are averaging 2.25 goals per game in the EPL and Rangers have scored in all of their last six, so this looks like a good option for betting. (71/100 with Betway) (71/100 with Supabets) (18/25 with 1Win)
Value Bets
Brennan Johnson – Anytime Goalscorer: With five goals in 12 games, Johnson to score anytime in the match is worth a punt. (37/20 with Betway) (47/25 with 1Win)
James Maddison – Anytime Goalscorer: Also with five in 12, Maddison is equally as likely to score. (3/1 with Betway) (3/1 with 1Win)
First Team to Score – Tottenham: Despite being the away team, Tottenham are prolific in front of goal this season. (51/50 with Betway) (11/10 with 1Win)
Prediction: Tottenham to Win 2-1
If you are able to defeat Man City twice in 24 days, then you should be able to handle any other team in the country.
Spurs have been a goalscoring machine so far this season, with 27 goals, more than any other team in the Premier League, and three more than the league leaders, Liverpool. Rangers have scored 17 goals in as many games.
The Londoners will be away from home in a hostile stadium, but their chances of scoring are high, as their record this season suggests.
Rangers have been able to score in all of their recent matches, so their chances to find the net at home will be high.
We think that both teams will score with Tottenham coming away from Glasgow with a 2-1 win.
Tim has over 27 years experience within the sports industry, working for football clubs Arsenal FC and Millwall FC, and boxing news websites British Boxing News, Boxing Social and Global Boxing News. His boxing articles have been published in Boxing News Magazine, national newspapers, plus many other major news outlets.