SCOTTISH football aficionado Gerry Taylor (@thefurlongpole) takes a look at Tuesday night's televised Champions League showdown between Rangers and Malmo.
Rangers vs Malmo | Tuesday 10th August 2021, 19:45 | Premier Sports
This game should be an absolute cracker – a high-stakes, Champions League qualifier, which is to be played out in front of an Ibrox full house for the first time in 17 months.
Malmo played out a goalless draw in the Allsvenskan at the weekend away to Halmstad. Meanwhile, Rangers suffered an extremely rare league defeat – a 1-0 reverse to Dundee United, their first since Hamilton won in Govan on 4th March 2020.
Ex-Newcastle player Jon Dahl Tomasson brings his Malmo charges to Scotland, with a crucial 2-1 lead from the first leg at the Eleda Stadion – where Steven Davis’s deflected shot deep into the fifth minute of stoppage time gave the Teddy Bears a foothold back into the tie.
Steven Gerrard has already made a plea to the Rangers fans in the capacity 50,000 crowd to make plenty of noise to assist his side, in a tie that is delicately poised. The hosts players are bound to come flying out the traps, especially after the two defeats on the bounce.
So I’m expecting this game to be played at a high-octane tempo from the first whistle as the lucrative Champions League rewards are up for grabs. For that reason, and with both sides capable, I’m expecting goals, and Over 2.5 Goals seems a nice way into this match.
The arbiter at Ibrox will be Slavko Vincic. The experienced Slovenian official is fresh from refereeing three games at the Euros and is averaging 3.50 cards over the last two seasons in European club competitions. His last trip to Ibrox resulted in him he dishing out eight cautions in a Europe League clash with Legia Warsaw.
Recent card totals in European games at Ibrox:
- Slavia Prague – 8 yellows
- Antwerp – 4 yellows
- Standard Liege – 4 yellows
- Benfica – 4 yellows
Nothing will be left behind in this tie from the Gers or the Sky Blues, so this time with a vocal crowd, both teams will be going for it, and there is a strong chance it could turn into a physical battle.
Six cautions were dished out in the first leg, and I don’t think it’s a big ask to speculate on Mr Vincic brandishing cards at least four cards. So I’d suggest having a go on an Over 2.5 Goals and Over 3.5 Cards Bet Builder with William Hill at a slightly odds-against 21/20.
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Rangers vs Malmo – Over 2.5 Goals and Over 3.5 Cards (21/20 William Hill)
