RB Leipzig vs Rangers Match Betting Preview

Sides Meet for First Time in Europa League Semifinals

Odds Favor RB Leipzig vs Rangers

The Europa League semifinals get underway on Thursday as RB Leipzig take on a Rangers side on an incredible run. The Rangers have a long European history but Leipzig have just recently risen to prominence, so this will be the first meeting between the two teams.

RB Leipzig are both heavy favorites to win the first leg and advance to the final, but Rangers have already pulled off some shocking upsets in the competition. We’ll cover all of the key factors impacting the match in this RB Leipzig vs Rangers match betting preview.

RB Leipzig vs Rangers Match Betting Preview

  • Date/Time: Thursday 3 p.m. ET
  • Location: Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Germany
  • TV: Paramount+

RB Leipzig Shorthanded Defensively

  • Quarterfinal Results: Atalanta 0-2 RB Leipzig; RB Leipzig 1-1 Atalanta
  • Last Five (All Competitions): L,W,W,W,W
  • Injuries and Suspensions: M Amadou Haidara (MCL), D Lukas Klostermann (quarantine), D Willi Orban (yellow card suspension), D Mohamed Simakan (yellow card suspension)

Union Berlin ended RB Leipzig’s 15-game unbeaten run on Saturday with a 2-1 comeback road win in the Bundesliga. Leipzig’s loss followed a midweek 2-1 win over Union in the semifinal of the DFB-Pokal. Still in contention for two trophies this season, Leipzig will now face off against SC Freiburg in the German Cup Final in May.

Defender Lukas Klostermann has missed the last two matches due to quarantine after coming into contact with a person with COVID-19. He started individual training on Monday, but the RB Leipzig vs Rangers odds could move if he’s able to return before Thursday’s match. Leipzig will already be shorthanded as starting center backs Willi Orban and Mohamed Simakan serve one-game yellow card suspensions. However, all of Leipzig’s offensive weapons should be available.

Rangers Missing Leading Scorers

    • Quarterfinal Results: Rangers 3-1 Braga; Braga 1-0 Rangers
    • Last Five (All Competitions): W,W,W,W,L
    • Injuries and Suspensions: M Aaron Ramsey (hamstring), F Kemar Roofe (knee), D Filip Helander (foot), F Alfredo Morelos (thigh), M Ianis Hagi (knee)

The Rangers have had an excellent couple weeks. First, they defeated Braga 3-1 to advance to the Europa League semifinal. They followed it up by beating bitter rivals Celtic to advance to the final of the Scottish Cup and picked up a 3-1 win over Motherwell despite playing with 10 men for most of the match.

However, our RB Leipzig vs Rangers match betting preview wouldn’t be complete without mentioning that the Rangers’ two leading scorers are both out for this match. Colombian international striker Alfredo Morelos is out for the season while Jamaican forward Kemar Roofe is targeting a return in a few weeks. Morelos had 19 goal contributions in the Scottish Premier League while Roofe scored the winning goal in extra time to put away Braga in the quarterfinal. They’ll both be missed.

What to Watch

The Europa League semifinal odds currently list RB Leipzig as -270 favorites, but their defensive absences could certainly end up hurting them. Meanwhile, the Rangers now lack a prolific striker with Roofe and Morelos out. Zambian striker Fashion Sakala may be called upon on Thursday.

The spread is set at 1½ goals, but underdogs Rangers are seen as more likely to cover at -130. The Rangers were also heavy underdogs in their first knockout round matchup vs. another German side in Borussia Dortmund, but picked up a shocking 4-2 win at the Signal Iduna Park.

Notably, Dortmund’s Erling Haaland missed both matches of the tie. RB Leipzig may not have a player as prolific as Haaland, but Christopher Nkunku has been excellent this season. The young French forward has 17 goals and 12 assists in the Bundesliga and scored both goals in the second leg vs Atalanta. He could be a nightmare for the Rangers defense.

The over/under total is interestingly set at 2½. Leipzig have scored in 19 of their last 20 matches in all competitions while the Rangers have gotten on the scoresheet in 17 of their last 18.

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