Rangers vs Viktoria Plzen

Rangers managed to hold Panathinaikos to a 1-1 draw last Wednesday, and it was enough to send the Gers through to the next round of the Champions League qualifiers. Russell Martin’s side wasn’t able to build on that success at the weekend when they drew 1-1 in their Scottish Premiership opener with Motherwell.

Martin lambasted his players after the game for giving the ball away too much. Their opponents chalked up an xG of 2.21 and registered 17 shots and five big chances. This was far from a vintage performance from the Glaswegian. The new manager is still finding his feet, and his side is going through a period of transition; however, they appear to be far too open. They also gave away a few presentable opportunities in the home leg against Panathinaikos, with Jack Butland forced to bail them out on numerous occasions.

Viktoria Plzen won’t make this easy, and they will be far fresher having not played at the weekend. They beat Servette last week with plenty to spare, and although they took fewer shots, they were far more accurate, firing in eight efforts on target and ten from inside the box. Former Burnley and Watford striker Matej Vydra may be 33 years old now, but he still has an eye for goal, and he will be a threat, alongside the shot-happy Rafiu Durosinmi.

The visitors have been much better in the competition so far, and although it is admirable that Rangers eliminated the Greeks from the UCL, this could be a tough 90 minutes for Martin’s men, particularly if they play like they did on Saturday afternoon. Backing Plzen on the Asian Handicap is the sensible way to go.