Football Tips: A dishy 4/1 double for Rangers & Leicester’s games on Thursday

Our tipster Paddy Murphy takes a look at the Europa League action on Thursday featuring Rangers and Leicester.

* All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.

For this article we’re going to be taking a look at two of the remaining British teams in action on Thursday night in the Europa League. Rangers beat Antwerp 4-3 a week ago in Belgium and are very much favourites to qualify here.

Leicester were held to a 0-0 draw last weekend away to Slavia Prague but are also firm favourites to win here. Let’s see if we can find a value double for these matches.

5.55pm: Rangers vs Antwerp – Under 2.5 Goals

Rangers are enjoying an incredible home run, they’ve now lost just one of their last 50 matches at Ibrox in all competitions and being a goal up, with three away goals to their name as well, they have very little to fear here.

Antwerp might be second in the Belgian league but their form of late isn’t the best, they’ve won just one of their last five in all competitions. Away from home though, things are better where they’ve won three, drawn one and lost one.

Thursday 5.55pm: Rangers v Antwerp
BT Sport 3

We have written plenty on these pages before about Rangers’ seeming lack of desire to destroy teams, preferring methodical 1-0 and 2-0 victories over high-scoring, manic displays of aggressive football but over their last two matches now have scored eight goals, conceding four.

Antwerp need to win 2-0 or better here and with this Ranger defence, which has conceded just two goals at home in the Premiership this season, it’s difficult to see the Belgians pulling that off. Four of Ranger’s last six home matches have seen Under 2.5 goals and three of Antwerp’s last five on their travels have also seen Unders occurring. The onus is on Antwerp to go for it here and yes, it’s a risky bet, but the value odds on Under 2.5 Goals (7/5) are too high to turn down.

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8pm: Leicester vs Slavia Prague: Leicester to Win & Over 2.5 Goals

Leicester are on a mighty run of form of late, over their last 20 games in all competitions they’ve lost just two, winning 13 and drawing five. They’re currently third in the Premier League as well and look like a team that can only improve.

Prague are a decent side, they score loads of goals in the Czech league but in European competition they tend to take a far more cautious approach. Their best hope here is to sit back and try and grab a sneaky goal or two on the break so expect them to set up rather rigidly and try and frustrate the home side.

Thursday 8pm: Leicester v Slavia Prague
BT Sport ESPN

Slavia have conceded at least two in two of their three most recent away matches. Leicester have found their scoring boots of late as well, over four of their last six home matches they’ve scored at least two and while we think Leicester will advance to the next round here over 90 minutes there’s not much value in their price.

Over 2.5 goals has occurred in three out of Leicester’s last six home matches and in three out of Prague’s four most recent away games. If we add these goal stats into the mix we can get an improvement on Leicester’s odds to win. Leicester to Win & Over 2.5 Goals (7/5) is what we’re going with here.

Paddy’s Thursday tips

5.55pm: Rangers vs Antwerp – Under 2.5 Goals
8pm: Leicester vs Slavia Prague: Leicester to Win & Over 2.5 Goals

Stick both of these picks into a Double and you’ll get odds of over 4/1 with Paddy Power.

* All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.

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