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Football tips: Champions League qualifying
1pt Servette or Draw double chance at 13/8 (Sky Bet)
Rangers' season didn't get off to the best of starts.
Just hours after bitter rivals Celtic won comfortably to open their campaign, Michael Beale's side lost 1-0 away at Kilmarnock.
Not the best warm-up for this huge game, with Champions League qualification on the line.
A good performance in this first leg is a necessity, but given how things have played out in pre-season - winning one, drawing one and losing two - and then at Kilmarnock, the hosts look short in this one.
Servette impressed in the Swiss Super League last season to finish second and have started this campaign unbeaten across five games in all competitions.
That run includes a two-legged victory over Genk in the last qualifying round of the UCL, winning on penalties in Belgium despite playing the second leg with 10-men from the third minute.
What are the best bets?
SERVETTE are certainly being underestimated in the market here.
Whether it's the big name of 'Rangers' that is driving the price of a home win down, or the punters piling into the hosts having not heard of the Swiss side, the value lies in backing the visitors in the DOUBLE CHANCE market.
Servette ended last season on a seven-match unbeaten run in the Swiss league, winning five of those and scoring 17 times, so are now unbeaten in 12 - they also didn't lose throughout pre-season.
The double chance market is readily available across bookmakers but if you have an account with a bookie who offers the Asian Handicap then I'd also consider taking Servette +1.0 at around the even money mark.
This gives us our money back if the Swiss side lose by one goal on the night, so there is added security.
BuildABet @ 10/1
- Servette +1 handicap
- Both teams to score
- Chris Bedia to score anytime
- Rangers 6+ corners
BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE has landed in all of Servette's five competitive outings this season. Striker CHRIS BEDIA has netted four times in those five contests and is on penalty duty so looks a solid selection to be among the goals.
RANGERS should see plenty of the ball in this home leg which will likely lead to a fair few CORNERS. They racked up eight at the weekend and in their final five games of last season averaged 6.8 per game.
Score prediction: Rangers 2-2 Servette (Sky Bet odds: 14/1)
Team news
Rangers manager Michael Beale handed competitive debuts to five new signings on Saturday, with Brighton loanee Abdallah Sima joining Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers in the forward line.
Elsewhere, former Everton and Norwich midfielder Kieran Dowell featured in a 4-3-3 formation, while goalkeeper Jack Butland made his competitive debut after joining from Crystal Palace.
Servette's lengthy injury list contains Theo Magnin, Miroslav Stevanovic, Alexis Antunes, Keigo Tsunemoto, Alexnder Lyng and Jeremy Frick.
The visitors will also be without suspended striker Enzo Crivelli following his red card against Genk, meaning Chris Bedia will likely partner Jeremy Guillemenot in a 4-4-2.
Predicted line-ups
Rangers: Butland; Tavernier, Goldson, Souttar, Barisic; Lundstram, Raskin, Dowell; Lammers, Dessers, Sima
Servette: Mall; Vouilloz, Rouiller, Severin, Baron; Touati, Ondoua, Douline, Kutesa; Guillemenot, Bedia
Match facts
- Will appear here...
Odds correct at 1630 BST (07/08/23)
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