The Europa League round of 16 features a match between two giants in their respective countries. Fenerbahce and Rangers are among the biggest teams in their respective countries, with rich traditions both domestically and in Europe. For both, the Europa League presents a great opportunity to win a European trophy, with Rangers coming very close to lifting it in the 2021/22 season.
Fenerbahce Team News
Fenerbahce managed to eliminate Anderlecht in the knockout phase play-offs in two thrilling encounters that saw 7 goals combined with Jose Mourinho’s side scoring 5. Despite Fenerbahce securing the last spot granting progression to the next stage of the EL during the league phase, they remain one of the more interesting teams to follow in this season. The Yellow Canaries often feature in goal-rich games and for the first leg against Rangers they will also be playing in Turkey, where Fenerbahce has won 8 of their last 10 home matches across all competitions. Interestingly enough, Jose Mourinho’s last home defeat came in the Europa League against Athletic Bilbao but in historical terms, Fenerbahce has never lost against Scottish opposition.
Rangers Team News
Rangers will make the trip to Turkey on the back of a surprising home loss against Motherwell, which left interim manager Barry Ferguson furious with his team’s performance. The results in the next couple of games will be crucial for the team as following the two encounters with Fenerbahce, Rangers will also face bitter rivals Celtic. Within the Europa League, however, The Gers managed to secure a top 8 spot in the league phase which granted them a bye to the last 16 of the tournament. When looking at Rangers’ away matches in the competition, we can see 2 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw for them, which makes them the 4th best team on the road during the league phase. A broader look will reveal just 1 loss for the team across their last 7 EL travels, which could be a good omen for them to achieve a good result against Fenerbahce in Turkey.
Head-to-Head-Games
Fenerbahce and Rangers have met before, but it was way back in 2001 during that season’s Champions League qualifiers. The Yellow Canaries managed to eliminate Rangers after a 2-1 win in Turkey and a 0-0 draw in Scotland.
Fenerbahce – Rangers Betting Prediction
My feeling is that we are going to see goals in this game and will opt for over 2.5 goals here. Fenerbahce are quite strong as hosts with all of their last 6 home matches ending with a victory for them, but also featuring at least 3 goals each. I think that they will lean heavily on their good performances at home and will try to secure a good result here so that they have some breathing room for the return leg at the Ibrox Stadium.
Rangers, on the other hand, will try to look for a positive result here, especially after their uninspiring loss to Motherwell. Their Europa League travels have featured good results, with The Gers losing just 1 of their last 7. I also think that they will push hard here to wash off the embarrassment of the Motherwell loss, as Rangers have some very tough fixtures coming their way in recent weeks and the team will need to be 100% focused if they stand a chance to get something out of those games.
Betting Tip: Over 2.5 Goals
Bookmaker: BC.Game
Odds: 1.67
BC.Game
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