TIMING is everything and Rangers will feel they’ve been given a Europa League lifeline.
When they lost 3-1 at home to Bayer Leverkusen in March the last-16 tie was all over.
Bayer were flying and wonderkid Kai Havertz was the talk of Europe – but then the world fell apart.
Nearly five months on and Bayer have been in cold storage for five weeks while the Scots are back in action and looking in decent shape after wins against Lyon, Nice and Aberdeen.
There will be no fans in the BayArena to cheer on the Germans and if Rangers score first they could make their hosts nervous.
Of course Gerrard’s men need three – a 3-1 win will force extra time – and that’s an almost mission impossible.
Rangers are 14-1 with McBookie to qualify while the Scots firm make them 7-2 to win on the night.
Bayer are 4-6 to win and it’s short for a side who can afford a draw or one-goal defeat.
Gerrard’s men are 16-5 for a pride-salvaging stalemate and 5-4 with McBookie not to lose on the night.
To have any hope the Ibrox men must score first and that pays 13-8 at McBookie while both to score is 4-6.
Rangers won their last EL tie 1-0 at Braga and have lost just one of their six away matches this season.
With Jermain Defoe out and Alfredo Morelos misfiring, Gerrard will look to Ryan Kent or Ianis Hagi for a goal.
Kent netted Saturday’s winner at Pittodrie and is 10-3 to strike again with Hagi 7-2.
Fit-again Kevin Volland could lead the line for Bayer and is 4-2 to net first with Havertz, who may play a little deeper, the 7-2 favourite.
Elsewhere tback Wolves to beat Olympiakos after a 1-1 draw in Athens and take on-form Roma not to lose against Sevilla in a one-off tie in Germany.
1pt Top Treble
- Bayer vs Rangers btts
- Wolves
- Roma not to lose
- (4-1, McBookie)
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