Champions League Playoff: PSV vs Rangers Odds
Winner Advances to Group Stage
Frantic First Leg Ends in Draw
Last week’s UEFA Champions League Playoff match between Rangers and PSV in Glasgow was a four-goal thriller that ended in a draw. Rangers took a lead twice in the match, but PSV responded on both occasions. Luuk de Jong grabbed the second equalizer on a header to ensure the match finished 2-2. It all comes down to Wednesday in Eindhoven, as the winner will advance to the Champions League group stage. We’ll take a look at the PSV vs Rangers odds in a crucial match for both sides.
PSV vs Rangers
Day/Time:
Location: Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands
Head-to-Head:
Last Tuesday, Rangers took a 45th-minute lead in the first leg of their match vs. PSV in Glasgow. PSV’s Ibrahim Sangare carelessly lost the ball, and Abdallah Sima pounced and finished. Sangare righted his wrong by scoring the equalizer for PSV in the 61st minute.
Rangers once again took the lead, as substitute Rabbi Matondo finished off an excellent counterattack that Todd Cantwell and Cyriel Dessers played a big part in. However, as he often does, Luuk de Jong scored with his head, and PSV equalized minutes later. Now, the second leg will be the decisive one.
Last season, these teams also met on the UEFA Champions League schedule at the same stage. In the first leg of the playoff, also at the Ibrox Stadium, the match finished 2-2. Rangers picked up a 1-0 win on the road in the second leg on an Antonio Colak goal. Notably, Rangers are unbeaten vs. PSV in five previous UCL meetings.
PSV Defenders Suffer Injuries
In the first leg matchup vs. Rangers, Andre Ramalho and Olivier Boscagli were injured. They happen to be PSV’s starting center backs, and manager Peter Bosz hopes both return for Wednesday’s match. Ramalho has reportedly returned to training, while there’s no word on the extent of Boscagli’s injury. Jerdy Schouten and Armando Obispo are both capable of filling in.
The Dutch Football Federation gave PSV the weekend off, so they’ll theoretically have fresh legs for Wednesday. When they have played this season, they’ve looked stellar. They’ve already won the Johan Cruijff Shield and are 2-0 in the Eredivisie. They also destroyed Austrian side Sturm Graz 7-2 in the third round of Champions League qualifiers. Luuk de Jong already has registered four goals in the Champions League stats, with at least one in each of PSV’s qualifiers.
De Jong has long been a threat in the air and could pose a problem for PSV’s defense again come Wednesday. New left winger Noa Lang is also one to watch, and he’s a full Netherlands international. Along with Boscagli, left-back Patrick van Aanholt looks to be out due to injury.
Exciting Week for Rangers
This is a massive week for Rangers. They can qualify for the Champions League group stage in consecutive seasons and defeat bitter rivals Celtic in the Old Firm Derby. At the weekend, Rangers got a comfortable 2-0 win in the Scottish Premier League as Kemar Roofe and James Tavernier got on the scoresheet.
Tavernier has a knack for scoring big goals for Rangers from the right back position and is Rangers’ designated penalty kick taker. Tavernier also scored in both legs of Rangers’ recent Champions League qualifier vs. Swiss side Servette.
Entering the UCL in the third qualifying round, Rangers took down Servette 3-2 over the course of two legs. This season has started reasonably well for Rangers, as they have just one defeat in seven matches in all competitions. However, they finished last in the Group A Champions League standings.
Even though they’ve never lost to PSV in the UCL, the PSV vs Rangers odds price Rangers as underdogs for this match. Rangers focused on attacking players in the transfer market this Summer as they brought in Cyriel Dessers, Sam Lammers, and Danilo. New arrival Jose Cifuentes has also frequently started in midfield.
Match Analysis & Odds
What immediately stands out on the odds board is that the Rangers’ odds of qualifying are just +300. This looks like it might have some solid value, as it implies Rangers have just a 25 percent chance of advancing to the group stage. They beat PSV in Eindhoven last year and there’s no reason it can’t happen again.
Still, the PSV vs Rangers odds list the hosts PSV as one-goal favorites for this match. PSV -1 comes in at -125 odds, while Rangers +1 shows +105 odds as they try to extend their unbeaten streak in the Champions League vs. PSV to six. In two home games this season, PSV have outscored their opponents 6-1 and are -195 moneyline favorites here.
Meanwhile, Rangers are +460 underdogs to pick up a win in normal time. Another draw wouldn’t be a huge surprise, and it’s priced at +370 odds for this one. Rangers have gone on the road to PSV three times in the last 25 years and hold a 2-1-0 record in those games. Only two goals total were scored in those games, as under three goals display -130 odds here.
