The action in the Europa League continues as Steven Gerrard takes his Rangers side to Germany to take on Bayer Leverkusen. But, could the Gers cause a massive upset?
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Rangers face a daunting challenge if they are to get through to the next round of the Europa League, as they must overcome a 3-1 disadvantage. Gers were humbled at Ibrox by the talented Bayer Leverkusen side, as the German giants raced into a 2-0 lead after goals from Kai Havertz and Charles Aranguiz. However, the hosts did pull one back through George Edmundson, before Leon Bailey restored the two-goal advantage with two minutes remaining.
The Gers come into this fixture hot off the heels of starting the new Scottish Premiership season. Gerrard’s side started with a win in their opening game, as Ryan Kent scored the only goal of the game in victory over Aberdeen. However, this will be a much more testing fixture for them. Gers had played four pre-season games before the opening day clash, as they beat Lyon and Nice. The pressure will be on for this fixture however.
Bayer Leverkusen were edged out for the final Champions League place in the Bundesliga, which means that this competition is now the only way that they will be playing in that competition next season. Bayer ended the season with a run of inconsistent results, as they won just twice in their final five games. They were beaten in their last fixture by Bayern Munich in the DFB-Pokal final, with Robert Lewandowski proving the difference as he scored twice. However, Rangers are by no means on the same level as Bayern, which means Bayer will rightly be considered favourites for this fixture.
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Bayer Leverkusen will be without Paulinho for the fixture, as he recovers from an ACL injury. Meanwhile, Rangers will have a fully fit squad to select from, as the break in play has given them an opportunity to rest up their players.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Rangers Prediction
Rangers have a huge challenge on their hands to get through to the next round of the competition, and it could prove to be too big of a challenge for them. Bayer are a quality side, and they will earn the win in this second leg to set up a quarterfinal clash with either Inter Milan or Getafe.
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