Rangers looking for an immediate seeding boost in Turkey
Co-efficient can be helped as well
It has been a while since Rangers fans had a match to look forward to so the action in Turkey cannot come quickly enough for most Gers fans. The players will have benefitted from a break in the action and Rangers are likely to be bolstered by the return of Madjid Bougherra tonight.
With Rangers guaranteed a spot in the Europa League after January, it is not as if tonight’s game is the most vital for the Ibrox side but there is a major incentive for Rangers to grab an away win. For Smith, it would see his Champions League group stage record rise to seven win and it would be a helping hand to Scotland’s co-efficient ranking. However, Rangers have a couple of shorter-term needs for a win in Turkey.
The money for three points will be very useful but the result tonight could impact on who Rangers face in the next round of the Europa League tournament.
When it comes to European seedings, we turn to the wonderful Bert’s site and it is easy to see why Rangers could help themselves out by winning tonight. This page on Bert’s, shows the make-up of the last 32 of the Europa League.
The teams are split into two strands: the 12 Europa League group winners and the 4 best ranked third placed teams from the Champions League make up one pot, who receive the benefit of playing the second leg at home.
The other pot features the 12 Europa League runners-up and the 4 poorest ranked third placed teams from the Champions League, who will kick off with a home tie.
With teams like Bayer Leverkusen, Sporting Lisbon, CSKA Moscow, Zenit St Petersburg, Stuttgart, Liverpool and Porto in the top pot, Rangers want to be joining them.
Of the 8 teams in 3rd place in the Champions League at the moment, the points are as follows:
Braga 9
Benfica 6
Rubin Kazan 6
Basle 6
Spartak Moscow 6
FC Twente 5
Rangers 5
Ajax 4
As things stand, Rangers are heading for the second pot and facing a tricky tie unless they can edge their way past three of the six teams above them. A win really is crucial for Walter Smith’s men if they want to give themselves every chance of an extended run in Europe in the New Year.
With Bursaspor having lost every game in the CL so far, there is every chance for Rangers to get their three points. Do you think they can get them?
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