Prediction: Rangers vs Alashkert

Prediction: Rangers win

Best Odds: 2/15

Bookmaker: 888sport

Domestic football is well and truly up and running but there’s also a lot to be said for the qualifying stages of the three main European competitions. The Champions League and Conference League are both up and running and that’s also true for the Europa League – which we don’t feel gets the credit it deserves for the role it plays in the European landscape. Today, we’re going to take a look at what has the potential to be a really fun tie between Rangers and Alashkert with the first leg being right around the corner.

Rangers

An unbeaten season in the Scottish Premiership is hard to come by and even though many don’t rate the quality of Scotland’s top division, it’s still a solid accomplishment that highlights just how far this club has come over the last few years. They’ve got the kind of squad that is more than capable of repeating as champions but the big test now will be to see whether or not they can balance a difficult title race with some potentially intriguing European exploits.

Team News

Kamara is out through suspension with Jack and Ofoborh both still being injured. Morelos is expected to come back into the starting XI with questions being raised over Sakala’s groin problem.

Alashkert

The Armenian top flight isn’t exactly known for producing world beaters but that doesn’t mean their teams can’t produce minor miracles in Europe. Alashkert are the reigning champions over there and will hope to continue to hold that distinction even after a few losses to open up the campaign. Some of their fans may think they’ve drawn the short straw with regards to this tie, but Scottish sides have a history of not showing up in the qualifiers, and they’ve really got nothing to lose.

Team News

Their weakened league side suffered against Van and because of that, the expectation is for big changes to come in with Khurtsidze and Grigoryan being two prime examples of that.

Factors to Consider

• Rangers are viewed as the strong favourites to progress in this tie.
• Rangers dropped into the Europa League after losing a UCL qualifier to Malmo.
• Alashkert dropped into the Europa League after losing a UCL qualifier to Sheriff Tiraspol.
• Rangers have won three and lost three of their last six games.
• Alashkert have won two, drawn two and lost two of their last six games.

Conclusion

While it definitely seems as if the Scottish champions are off to a bit of a slow start, Alashkert’s spirit and determination can only take them so far. We think Gerrard will want his side to get out of the blocks early and get a goal under their belt to settle the nerves, which is exactly what we expect them to do – especially at home. From there they’ll probably add a few more to give themselves a strong advantage heading into the second leg and really, that’s all they can ask for.

Prediction: Rangers win

Best Odds: 2/15

Bookmaker: 888sport