Rangers vs PSV Eindhoven tips: Huge test awaits Gers as Dutch giants eye Champions League reunion
- Sergiu Baltuta
- 21 August 2023
There's a big game feel in Glasgow as PSV Eindhoven sqaure off against Rangers - with the small matter of Champions League qualification on the line.
Rangers and PSV meet in the UEFA Champions League play-off tie for the second successive season.
Date, KO time and TV coverage
Champions League qualifiers, Tuesday 22 August, Kick-off 20.00, live on TNT Sports
Predicted score
Suggested bets
Verdict
Last season, Rangers qualified for the group stage of the Champions League following a 3-2 aggregate victory over the Dutch giants.
PSV are favourites this year, but the Scots will undoubtedly try to capitalise on home advantage in the opening leg.
Back In 2022, the two teams played out a 2-2 draw at Ibrox before Rangers managed a 1-0 victory in Eindhoven to seal Champions League football.
In truth, Rangers have not enjoyed the best start to the season. In fact, the Gers endured a surprise 1-0 away defeat against Kilmarnock in their first Premiership match of the campaign.
Michael Beale's men recovered against Servette in the UCL third qualifying round, and between the two games against the Swiss vice champions they thrashed Livingston 4-0.
The double leg against Servette wasn't without emotions, even though things started really well.
The Scots were 2-0 up inside 15 minutes before a penalty for Servette halved the advantage.
In the second leg in Geneva, the hosts brought the aggregate score level but couldn't close the deal as Rangers recovered to seal qualification to the play-off round.
PSV, on the other hand, are a team in excellent form considering they won all their five games this season.
If that wasn't enough, they won their last four by over two or more goals. The excellent start to the new season has already brought a trophy for Peter Bosz's team who managed to win the Dutch Supercup against Feyenoord.
All the attacking players in the squad appear to have hit the ground running. Luuk de Jong, for instance, scored three goals in the two games against Sturm Graz before retuning to the scoresheet last weekend against Vitesse.
Yorbe Vertessen and new signing Noa Lang have already scored two goals scored this season.
Before the double leg from last year, Rangers and PSV also faced each other in the 2011/11 Europa League round-of-16, the 1999/2000 UCL group stage and in the 1978/79 European Champions Cup round-of -16 stage.
PSV have managed only one win in eight European meetings against Rangers.
Meanwhile, the Scottish outfit have come out on top every time they faced PSV in ECC/UCL.
Despite the head-to-head record, PSV are favourites for a reason and we're backing the Dutch side to prove the bookmakers right.
The Eindhoven outfit to win and both teams to score is our recommendation ahead of Tuesday's encounter.
