Rangers take on Real Betis at Ibrox on Thursday evening, in their first Europa League group stage game.

It is the first competitive meeting between the two sides, who will both have confidence they can progress through Group C, which also contains Aris Limassol and Sparta Prague.

Match preview

After coming agonisingly close to winning the 2021-22 edition of the Europa League, before coming up short on penalties against Eintracht Frankfurt in the final, Rangers will be hoping they can go one step further this time around.

The Gers enter Europe's secondary competition after losing in the final round of qualification for the Champions League, with PSV Eindhoven emerging 7-3 winners on aggregate, and they have not been particularly convincing in the Scottish Premiership.

As things stand, Michael Beale's side are fourth in their domestic league, having lost two of their opening five games, and the most disappointing defeat came at home against bitter rivals Celtic earlier this month.

Rangers lost 1-0 against the Hoops, but they will feel they deserved more on the balance of play, particularly considering Kemar Roofe's goal was ruled out in controversial fashion in the first half.

Since then, the Teddy Bears have bounced back with a 2-0 victory against St Johnstone, with Danilo and Rabbi Matondo getting on the scoresheet to secure a relatively comfortable win on the road.

However, the Gers' task is likely to be a lot more difficult on Thursday night, coming up against a Real Betis side that reached the Europa League after finishing sixth in La Liga in the 2022-23 campaign.

Betis have made a solid, if not spectacular start to the current season, having collected seven points from their opening five games, recording a 2-1 victory away at Villarreal and a 1-0 win at home against Raya Vallecano.

Manuel Pellegrini's side managed to reach the knockout phase of the Europa League last season, progressing through a group containing AS Roma, HJK Helsinki and Ludogorets, but they were knocked out in the round of 16 owing to a 5-1 loss against Manchester United on aggregate.

Real Betis have proven they have what it takes to progress past the group stage in recent memory, but they will need to improve upon their recent performances if they are going to take anything from Wednesday's game, losing 5-0 at Barcelona on Saturday night.

Team News

Rangers will be without central midfielder Todd Cantwell, who is ruled out with a knee injury, while Steven Davis and Kieran Dowell also remain sidelined with injury issues.

After scoring the opening goal at the weekend, Danilo was withdrawn because of a compound fracture, which required surgery, so Abdallah Sima could come into the starting lineup.

Real Betis also have a number of injury problems to deal with, and long-term absentee Nabil Fekir remains absent with a knee injury, while Claudio Bravo and William Carvalho are also unavailable.

More recently, Aitor Ruibal Youssouf Sabaly and Rui Silva have picked up injuries, with the former requiring surgery, and the latter's absence means Francisco Vieites is poised to get the nod between the sticks.

Rangers possible starting lineup:
Butland; Tavernier, Goldson, Davies, Yilmaz; Raskin, Lundstram, Matondo, Roofe, Lawrence; Sima

Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Silva; Bellerin, Bartra, Riad, Miranda; Altimira, Roca, Henrique, Isco, Perez; Willian Jose

We say: Rangers 2-2 Real Betis

Rangers have not looked particularly convincing in the Scottish Premiership this season, but Real Betis head into the game fresh off the back of a thrashing against Barcelona, and they have lost their last two away games.

With the two sides fairly evenly matched, we are expecting a draw on Thursday night.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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