TipResumen

UFA

The remarkable rise of Ufa Football Club has to be admired, but it has not been the best of starts to the new season for a team playing in European competition for the first time. The defeat in Scotland last week means Ufa are under some pressure to try and turn things around in the Second Leg to prolong their Europa League adventure through to the Group Stage, but the lack of an away goal does hurt the side. They have managed to work their way past Domzale and Progres Niederkorn to make it through to the Europa League Play Off Round, but the defeat to Rangers was the first one suffered by Ufa in the competition. In the last two ties Ufa have drawn 0-0 with Domzale and beaten Progres Niederkorn 2-1 but neither of those results would be good enough to get past Rangers in this one. Ufa have not won any of their last 5 games in all competitions since beating Progres Niederkorn 2-1 in the Third Qualifying Round First Leg and the bigger worry for Ufa has to be the 4 losses suffered in that time. They have been beaten and failed to score in their last 2 home games against Krasnodar and Zenit St Petersburg.



RANGERS

A late Motherwell goal last weekend means Rangers have slipped behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership ahead of the first 'Old Firm' derby of the 2018/19 season. Steven Gerrard has to make sure that fixture at Celtic Park is not proving to be a distraction for his Rangers players as he is desperate to take the club into the Europa League Group Stage and build the experience of the entire club. Last season Rangers were embarrassed by Progres Niederkorn in the Europa League Qualifiers, but they have made good progress this time around having begun in the First Qualifying Round. Aggregate wins over Shkupi, Osijek and Maribor have to be respected, while Rangers are unbeaten in all 3 away European games and have yet to concede a goal. Rangers had made a very positive start defensively to the 2018/19 season having conceded just 4 goals in the first 10 games in all competitions, but they almost doubled that in their 3-3 draw at Motherwell last weekend. They are now unbeaten in their last 8 away games in all competitions, but 6 of those have ended in draws.



HEAD TO HEAD

This is the first time Ufa will have hosted Rangers in a competitive fixture.