RB Leipzig vs Rangers FC
A rare chance for continental glory beckons both RB Leipzig and Rangers as they’re slated to clash in the Europa League semi-final starting this Thursday at the Red Bull Arena.
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Rangers rubbing shoulders with some of the best sides in the world considering their history in competing at European competitions, and now they’re possibly a few games away from immortality.
On the other hand, RB Leipzig still consider themselves as an upstart club despite their enormous progress in these past few years. But unlike before, they’re considered as the Goliaths for this tie.
With a lot on the line and when they’ll meet for the first time ever in this tournament, football fans are in for a treat since there will be numerous Europa League 2022 highlights from this matchup.
So continue to read below as we share key talking points in today’s SBOTOP preview.
Talking Points
RB Leipzig want trophies
The Red Bulls are the only German side who are still in contention for two trophies this season. Other than competing in the Europa League, they’re also in the DFB-Pokal final against SC Freiburg.
The trajectory of RB Leipzig has skyrocketed since the arrival of Domenico Tedesco in December, and fans are left to wonder on whether what could’ve been if he was their head coach earlier.
One can argue that they might be in contention for the Bundesliga trophy too if that was the case, or at least they’ll give champions-elect Bayern Munich a run for their money.
Well, it’s better late than never as his results speak for itself. Under Tedesco, the Red Bulls have notched 16 wins, three losses, and five draws from 24 games in all competitions. They are also poised to make a return to the Champions League next term since they’re the Bundesliga’s fourth seed with 54 points.
With fixtures coming in thick and fast, RB Leipzig are expected to rotate their lineup for this make-or-break stretch.
Christopher Nkunku is the in-form man as of the moment with 27 goals and 14 assists, while he’ll be joined by either Andre Silva or Yussuf Poulsen. Since Yussuf Poulsen started against Union Berlin and he has a niggling injury, Andre Silva – with 14 goals and three assists – is likely to get the nod here.
Leipzig have numerous suspensions to deal with since Willi Orban, Mohamed Simakan, and Kevin Kampl are all unavailable, which opens an opportunity for Nordi Mukiele, Tyler Adams, and Lukas Klostermann to reclaim their starting XI spots.
Rangers have an injury crisis
Giovanni van Bronckhorst has done well as Rangers boss since they’re also in contention for at least two trophies. They’re the frontrunners in the Scottish Premiership and they’re also in the cup final, all while competing here in Europe.
However, the Rangers’ four-game winning streak is in serious jeopardy as they’ll be missing several key players against RB Leipzig.
Top strikers Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe won’t be available, while Juventus loanee Aaron Ramsey continues to deal with a hamstring strain. With the three of them sidelined, Fashion Sakala, Ryan Kent and John Lundstram should replace them in the starting XI.
History
This Thursday marks the first-ever European meeting between RB Leipzig and Rangers.
This will also be the Red Bulls’ second major semi-final within their first five seasons in European competition, having also reached the Champions League semis in 2019-20 against PSG. On the other hand, the Rangers have reached their seventh semi-final of a major European competition overall – which is level with their Scottish Premiership rivals Celtic.
When the Rangers last made it to the final four in 2007-08, they eventually finished as runners-up to Zenit St. Petersburg in the UEFA Cup.
Rangers have had a rough time in away fixtures against German opposition in European competition (L13, D9), only winning twice in their last 24. One of their wins, though, was back in February where they defeated Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park with a 4-2 scoreline.
Betting Tip
It’s no surprise that RB Leipzig are being favoured to win by the Europa League 2022 odds as they are priced at 1.37, while Rangers are pegged at 8.00 and chances for a draw are at 4.40 in the 1X2 market.
It doesn’t help that the Rangers have suffered key injuries ahead of this contest, so it’s hard to see them staying competitive for the whole 90 minutes against an in-form RB Leipzig squad, at least for the first leg of this tie.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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