RB Leipzig v Rangers predictions: Underdogs may be vulnerable late on

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for RB Leipzig v Rangers in Thursday's Europa League semi-final first leg.

Where to watch

BT Sport 2, 8pm Thursday

Best bet

Draw-Leipzig double result
1pt 3-1 general

Team news

Leipzig
Willi Orban, Kevin Kampl and Mohamed Simakan are all suspended. Lukas Klostermann and Amadou Haidara are fitness doubts.

Rangers
Kemar Roofe, Ianis Hagi, Filip Helander, Alfredo Morelos and Nnamdi Ofoborh are injured and Aaron Ramsey (knee) is also set to miss out. Fashion Sakala should start up front.

Match preview

Rangers were 7-1 outsiders when winning 4-2 away to Borussia Dortmund in February's Europa League playoff-round first leg and the Scottish champions are set to go off at even bigger odds on their return to Germany.

The Gers face RB Leipzig in the semi-finals, having completed a 6-4 aggregate win over Dortmund before knocking out Red Star Belgrade in the last 16 and clinching a dramatic extra-time victory over Braga in the quarter-finals.

It has been a sensational run for Rangers, whose Champions League dream ended with a qualifying defeat to Malmo on August 10 before a 1-0 aggregate win over Armenian side Alashkert in the Europa League playoffs.

Rangers started their group-stage campaign with defeats to nil against Lyon and Sparta Prague but eight points from their final four games proved enough to take them into the thrilling knockout tie against Dortmund.

It has been costly to write-off the Gers in Europe this season but resurgent Leipzig are overwhelming favourites to claim a first-leg lead before next week's trip to Ibrox.

Both clubs have changed managers this season, albeit in contrasting circumstances. Rangers were unable to stand in the way of Steven Gerrard when English Premier League club Aston Villa came calling in November but just a month later Leipzig sacked Jesse Marsch after successive Bundesliga defeats to Bayer Leverkusen and Union Berlin.

They beat Manchester City 2-1 in their next fixture, on matchday six of the Champions League, and there was no disgrace in finishing third to City and Paris St-Germain in a brutally tough group.

Marsch, appointed last summer after Julian Nagelsmann's departure to Bayern Munich, flopped at Leipzig but their latest managerial appointment is working out well.

Domenico Tedesco has led the club to the German Cup final, the top four of the Bundesliga and the Europa League semis, coming through tricky ties against Real Sociedad and Atalanta thanks to impressive second-leg wins away from home.

Since the Bundesliga's winter break, Leipzig have won ten of their 14 league games, losing 3-2 at champions Bayern and 2-1 at home to Union Berlin, who scored twice in the last four minutes, at the weekend.

Setting aside the defeat to Bayern, Leipzig have conceded only two first-half goals in 13 Bundesliga matches this year so Rangers are unlikely to repeat their blistering start in Dortmund, where they scored four times inside the first 55 minutes.

The Gers are missing several key attacking players, with Aaron Ramsey joining Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos on the sidelines, and the draw-Leipzig double result appeals at 3-1.

Rangers had to play for more than an hour with ten men in Saturday's 3-1 win at Motherwell and Leipzig have the depth of talent to unlock their visitors in the second half with classy forwards Emil Forsberg, Dominik Szoboszlai and Yussuf Poulsen likely to be among the substitutes.

Key stat

Leipzig have conceded only four first-half goals in 14 Bundesliga matches in 2022.

Inside info

RB Leipzig

Penalty taker Christopher Nkunku/Emil Forsberg
Free-kick wizard Christopher Nkunku
Set-piece aerial threat Josko Gvardiol
Card magnet Josko Gvardiol

Rangers

Penalty taker James Tavernier
Free-kick wizard James Tavernier
Set-piece aerial threat Connor Goldson
Card magnet James Tavernier

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