Rangers vs Club Brugge: Who will take the upper hand in the first Champions League qualifying match?
In the opening leg of the UEFA Champions League playoff qualifiers, Scottish side Rangers will face off against Club Brugge. The match is set for Tuesday, August 19, at 21:00 CET. Here’s our betting tip for this thrilling encounter.
Rangers vs Club Brugge: Match preview
Rangers finished last season as runners-up in the Scottish Premiership. Their Champions League campaign began in the second qualifying round, where they faced Panathinaikos. The Scots took a 2-0 victory in the first leg before drawing 1-1 away. In the next round, their opponent was Viktoria Plzen. Rangers hammered the Czech side 3-0 at home, and although they lost 1-2 in the return leg, their aggregate lead was never in doubt. Meanwhile, the team also kicked off their domestic season, picking up two points from two matches after back-to-back draws.
Club Brugge also finished second in last season’s Jupiler Pro League. The Belgian side started their Champions League qualification from the third round, where they were matched up against Salzburg. Brugge edged the first leg by the slimmest of margins, then pulled off another win in the return fixture. The Austrians struck twice before halftime, but Brugge staged an incredible comeback after the break, finding the net three times. In the Belgian league, Brugge have won three matches and lost one, collecting nine points and currently sitting in fourth place.
Match facts and H2H
- Rangers have lost just one of their last five matches.
- Club Brugge are on a four-game winning streak.
- Brugge have scored in 17 straight matches, while Rangers have found the net in 14 consecutive games.
- The sides have met three times: twice ending in draws, with one win for the Scots.
Probable lineups
- Rangers: Kelly, Aarons, Fernandez, Djiha, Rice, Dowell, Bajrami, Rothwell, Danilo, Cortes, Moore
- Club Brugge: Mignolet, Spileers, Meijer, Sylla, Mechele, Reitz, Vanaken, Onyedika, Tzolis, Vermant, Carlos Forbs
Prediction
Both Rangers and Club Brugge have been consistently scoring—14 and 17 consecutive matches, respectively. Both sides will be hungry for a win to gain the upper hand in this first leg. The optimal betting pick: both teams to score.
