Rangers and PSV are battling for a place in the 2022-23 Champions League. Whoever comes out on top after the doubleheader will play in Europe’s most elite football club competition. The first leg of the home and away game is scheduled for Tuesday, August 16 at Rangers’ home ground – Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland.
A week later, it will be the opposite: PSV will welcome Rangers to the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven. This is where PSV have lost just three games in total in almost a year. Knowing that, it looks like the only path to victory for Rangers is to do well at home on Tuesday.
So can their fans help them beat PSV in Stage 1? That’s the question we’ll try to answer in our Rangers vs PSV preview.
Rangers vs PSV odds
Moneyline
Rangers | +140 |
To draw | +229 |
PSV | +175 |
Goals Over/Under
More than 2.5 | +100 |
Less than 2.5 | -118 |
When, where and how to watch?
- Date: Tuesday August 16
- Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
- Square: Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland
Europa League Finalist Dream Big
Rangers reached the Europa League final last season but were left without the tile, which fell into the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt. The Glasgow boys wouldn’t mind playing in this competition again, but their No.1 desire is to qualify for the Champions League.
Their work in UCL qualifying hasn’t been too difficult so far. In fact, Rangers have only played one qualifying game so far. It was against one of the weakest possible opponents – Royale Union SG, a Belgian side who played in the second division just two seasons ago.
Rangers were expected to win both games easily, but they lost the first leg. Played in Belgium, the match saw the hosts triumph 2-0. However, when they played at Ibrox Stadium, Rangers looked like a whole different side – they destroyed Royale Union SG 3-0.
PSV ready to fight back
Rangers are superb playing in Glasgow which means if they are to make it to the Champions League PSV need to be extra careful on Tuesday. It would make sense for PSV to go to Ibrox and try to defend with everything they have. However, it is a team that does not play like that. Rather than defend, they like to fight back.
Proof of this is that PSV have scored at least one goal in almost every competitive game played in 2022. In fact, only one of their games this year has seen them fall short.
Moreover, they seem to be fine with playing on the road as well. Of course, their away record isn’t as good as their home record, but they’ve been performing well on the road lately. The best example is the 5-3 win over rivals Ajax at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam in the 2022 Dutch Super Cup.
Prediction Rangers vs PSV
Beating Rangers in Glasgow is not something many teams have done. At least not lately. Can PSV join this elite club? We think they might, judging by how impressive these guys have been over the past two weeks. Victory for PSV is one of our top picks, but we think the safest bet for this UCL qualifier is over 2.5 goals.
Choice: victory for PSV; Over 2.5 goals