Bookies reckon Gers have next to no chance
Bookmakers have all but written off Rangers’ chances of making the Europa League’s later stages.
The Light Blues claimed their place in the competition’s last-16 with the hugely- impressive dismissal of Braga.
The 3- 2 winners from the first leg at Ibrox followed up onwednesday with a stunning secondleg victory in Portugal.
It was a success that had fans dreaming of a possible repeat of the march to the UEFA Final in 2008, a run that included the Ko’ing of Werder Bremen.
Then, they managed to reach the Manchester showpiece only to find a Zenit St Petersburg side, managed by former Gers boss Dick Advocaat, just too good.
But, after seeing Friday afternoon’s draw pair Steven Gerrard’s men with Beyer Leverkusen, the bookies have been pessimistic about their chances.
The Bundesliga outfit, who played in the 2002 European Champions League Final at Hampden – a game famously won by a magnificent volley from Zinedine Zidane – have been made 9/ 1 fourth favourites to win the trophy itself.
That contrasts sharply with the odds available on Rangers, who are generally a 50/1 shot, and as big as 70/1 in places.
It is a view very much repeated in the breakdown for the ties themselves.
The Light Blues are 3/1 just to get through, while Leverkusen’s price of 2/9 on suggests they feel defeat for the Germans to be highly unlikely.
They do give the Scottish side a bit of a chance for the first leg, which is at Ibrox on March 12, with the visitors’ slight odds against at a price of 11/10.
To be fair, the bookmakers can point to the reaction of the Porto manager Sergio Conceicao to his team’s loss to Leverkusen.
He said then the Bundesliga outfit were a high- quality side who deserved to be considered as one of the favourites outright.
Bookies do have confidence in the chances of other UK clubs.
Manchester United, who have been drawn against the Austrians of LASK, head all the outright lists as 4/1 or 9/2 favourites.
That is despite the problems Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have had in the English Premier League this season.
And their fellow English top-flight members Wolves are fancied for a run in the tournament at a price of 13/2.
To do so, though, they will need to see off Olympiakos in the round of 32, the Athens club who shocked Arsenal with a goal in the very last minute of extra time to knock the Gunners out last week.
One club being given even less of a chance than Rangers, meanwhile, are Copenhagen, conquerors of Celtic.
Drawn against Istanbul Basaksehir, their price is as big at 125/1.