Rangers vs Jagiellonia Bialystok: Europa League Preview
Rangers go into Thursday night at Ibrox a goal down and short of evidence that they can put it right. Jagiellonia Bialystok won the first leg 2-1 in Poland on 6 August, and nothing Rangers have done since has suggested the second leg will be straightforward.
The tie is level enough on paper. It is the form around it that should worry anyone in Govan.
What happened in the first leg
Jagiellonia took it 2-1 at home on 6 August. Rangers got a goal, which matters, but they conceded twice to a side that had just come through a domestic run in good shape. An away goal counts for nothing on its own now, so Rangers need to win by two, or win 1-0 and hold on, or take it to extra time at 1-0 down on the night with a single goal of their own.
Put simply: they have to score at least once, and they have to defend better than they have all month.
Rangers have not been convincing
The three competitive fixtures before this one tell a blunt story.
- 9 August: Rangers 1-2 Hibernian, Scottish Premiership
- 6 August: Jagiellonia Bialystok 2-1 Rangers, Europa League
- 31 July: Dundee United 1-1 Rangers, Scottish Premiership
One point from six at home, a European deficit, and a draw at Tannadice. The Hibernian result is the one that stings most, because it was at Ibrox and because it was the same scoreline Hibernian took off them there in May. A team losing the same game twice in three months has a problem that is not about luck.
There is better in them. They won 5-2 at Falkirk in May and beat Saint-Etienne 2-1 in pre-season. But friendly form is friendly form, and Ibrox has not seen a competitive win in this run.
Jagiellonia are beatable right now
The Poles are not arriving in perfect health either. Four days after knocking Rangers back, they lost 2-0 at home to Widzew Lodz in the Ekstraklasa. Before that they had been steady: 2-1 away at Motor Lublin, 1-0 at home to Korona Kielce.
So the pattern is a side who are dangerous but not relentless. They have conceded when pushed, and they have just been beaten at home by a mid-table league opponent. Rangers will not get a better invitation to attack.
What to expect
Ibrox under lights in Europe is a genuine factor and Rangers will start fast, because the tie demands it. The risk is the obvious one: a team chasing a goal early leaves space behind, and Jagiellonia have shown they will take it. An away goal would force Rangers to score three.
The sensible read is a tight, nervy game decided by one moment. Rangers to score first, and then a long half hour of holding on.
Call it yourself, free
Every match on CalledItMate is a live football prediction game, and this one is open now. Call the correct score before kick-off, then keep playing once it starts: pick the next goalscorer, the next team to score, the result of each half and which half brings the most goals.
Points land the second the game proves you right rather than at full time, so a correct call on a 78th-minute winner is scored while the ground is still celebrating.
Predict Rangers vs Jagiellonia Bialystok
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