Rangers vs Braga Betting Preview
WagerTalk soccer handicapper Kevin Dolan offers his Rangers vs Braga betting preview for Thursday, April 14 in the UEFA Europa League. Braga is 12-0 in progressing through to the next round of European competitions after winning the first leg at home. Can Rangers break the streak in Scotland?
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| Thursday, April 14 | UEFA Europa League Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Rangers: | EV (+100) |
| Braga: | +275 |
| Draw: | +265 |
| Total: | 2.25 Goals (Odds Above Courtesy of DraftKings) |
| Game Time: | 3:00pm ET / 12:00pm PT |
Rangers vs Braga Analysis
A must-win game on Thursday night for Scottish club Rangers as they find themselves 1-0 down from the first leg after an Abel Ruiz rocket into the bottom right corner gave Braga the advantage heading into leg two of this tie.
Both teams come off wins at the weekend with Braga edging past 13th-place Vizela 1-0 over in the Portuguese Primeira Liga while Rangers romped home 4-0 in a blowout victory over St. Mirren in the Scottish Premiership.
Braga In Best Form Of The Season
Braga has won four-straight matches heading into Thursday’s quarterfinal clash against Rangers, and that equals their hottest run of the season so far in what’s been an inconsistent year for the club overall.
However, Braga will no doubt feel confident ahead of this tie as they’re a perfect 12-from-12 in progressing through to the next round in European competition road games after winning the first leg at home.
Rangers’ Season Rests On Europa League Success
After stopping domestic arch-rivals Celtic lifting a historic 10-in-a-row last season, with the departure of former boss Steven Gerrard to Aston Villa, it’s been all downhill for the Scottish giants since.
A six-point gap to Celtic at top of the Scottish Premiership has been compounded by a -19 goal differential over their city rivals as former Rangers player and current boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst has struggled to keep pace with Ange Postecoglou’s revamped Celtic side this season.
Because of that, van Bronckhorst has highlighted the pressure he’s under to deliver silverware this season to the Ibrox club, and that puts Rangers in must-win territory here on Thursday.
Rangers vs Braga Prediction
The pressure is all on Rangers ahead of this game as with likely only two avenues of silverware available to them, the Scottish Cup and the Europa League, van Bronckhorst will be expected to deliver something to the fans this season.
Rangers lost to Celtic 2-1 at Ibrox just over a week ago in a game they were vastly outplayed in at home and facing Celtic again this Sunday at Hampden Park in the Scottish Cup semifinal might well not go any better for them.
That leaves the Europa League and while even the most ardent Rangers fan might suggest winning the competition outright might be a bridge too far for the club considering who’s still left in the tournament, they are expected to get past Braga here and that presents some value on the dog in this one.
Braga is on their best run of the season so far and with the pressure Rangers are under right now, coupled with the fact that they’ve progressed through to the next round from just five of their 26 UEFA ties where they’ve lost a first leg road game, all of the value looks to be with the Portuguese side ahead of this one.
Take Braga +0.5 to avoid defeat on Thursday night against Rangers in the Europa League.
Interested in placing a bet on Thursday’s Rangers vs Braga clash in the Europa League? Caesars Sports is offering up to a $1,500 match bet for first-time deposits in New Jersey, West Virginia, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, New York and Louisiana.
Stoppage Time | Europa League Betting Preview
Who will book their ticket to the semifinals of the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League and Europa League? Join Carmine Bianco, Kevin Dolan, Pavlos Laguretos, and Nick Borrman for Stoppage Time as we break down this week’s featured European matches, including Atletico Madrid vs Manchester City; Barcelona vs Eintracht Frankfurt; and Atalanta vs RB Leipzig.
WagerTalk Soccer Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the moneylines, goal spreads and totals for all of this week’s Europa League games, including this Rangers vs Braga showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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Meet the Author
‘The sharpest sports mind in Ireland’ is how one prominent newspaper dubbed Kevin Dolan after he became the first foreigner ever to win the World Series of Handicapping tournament back in 2015. “The Irishman” made his start wagering on GAA, football, soccer and boxing, all to immense success. Since becoming a professional bettor, he has since lit up the sports betting scene in the U.S. and abroad, winning two handicapping awards and writing a best-selling book on sports handicapping named ‘The Complete Guide to Sports Betting’.
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