Rangers’ odds for even qualifying from the Europa League League stage are modest at best, with most bookies offering 1/11 against.
Interestingly, despite flying high in the Swedish league, tonight’s opponents Malmo, regardless of their excellent record against Scottish sides (they’ve never lost), are actually longer odds than Rangers at 1/12, so surprisingly Rangers are shorter preferences to achieve the surprise package of being top 8 in the league.
Let’s face it, that’s not going to happen, and Rangers are 10th from bottom in the odds as things stand, with 26 clubs preferred above them.
It’s a real shame for the team who got to this tournament’s final only two seasons ago that the plight has been nothing but downhill from Sevilla, but intriguingly Rangers’ chances are still viewed as better than Ukrainian conquerors Kyiv, themselves massive outsiders at 1/20.
Other sides below the Famous include Elfsborg of Sweden, Ferencvaros of Hungary and one of Rangers’ opponents in the league stage, FCSB (the renamed Steaua Bucharest for those who know their past). They sit rock bottom as rank tournament outsider at 1/66.
So while Rangers are not being dismissed, they are not viewed favourably, some sides immediately higher in expectation are Norwegian giants Bodo Glimt, USG (another side Rangers will face) and Sam Lammers’ new mob FC Twente.
The top of the tree unsurprisingly includes Spurs, Roma and Man Utd, mainly on name in many places there, and we admit we look at the calibre of teams even in the upper echalons of this tournament and it’s probably the weakest we’ve seen the Europa League.
Rangers’ incarnation in 2022 had a brilliantly strong Eintracht, Barca, Leipzig, Borussia, Lyon, Prague, PSV, Monaco, Napoli, Leverkusen and Betis to name a few. Rangers’ achievement in getting to that final was colossal – as big as anything the club has ever done.
It obviously wasn’t Champions League but it was a strong UEL, probably the best it’s been.
This season a rank average Spurs, a dreadful Man Utd, and a mediocre Roma are top of the odds tables, demonstrating the tournament this year really is not strong at all.
If only this was a good Rangers, there would be a chance of Philippe Clement’s men going deep into the competition.
Que sera.