MY ACCOUNT
The final three places in the Champions League group stage will be confirmed on Wednesday following the second legs in the play-off round.
Scottish giants Rangers travel to PSV Eindhoven with their tie finely poised at 2-2, while Bodo/Glimt hold a narrow 1-0 advantage over Dinamo Zagreb and FC Copenhagen lead Trabzonspor 2-1 after the first game.
All six teams will feel they have a chance of making it into the group draw for Europe’s elite club competition, while the losers will drop into the group stage of the Europa League.
PSV Eindhoven vs Rangers (Wednesday, 8pm)
Last week’s Ibrox showdown ended all-square when PSV equalised with 12 minutes to go through Armando Obispo and the Eredivisie side will now believe they can progress to the Champions League group stage for the first time since 2018-19.
Rangers are hoping to end a 12-year absence from the Champions League group stage as they look to follow up on their fantastic run to last season’s Europa League final.
The stats
PSV have won their first two league games in the Netherlands in impressive fashion, kicking off with a 4-1 home victory over Emmen and then hammering Go Ahead Eagles 5-2.
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side have had a week to prepare for the second leg and will hope to see off Rangers after edging out Monaco in the third qualifying round 4-3 on aggregate.
The Gers dropped their first points in the Scottish Premiership at the weekend when they were held 2-2 by Hibernian to make it 10 points from a possible 12 at the start of the campaign.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men progressed past Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise in the previous round thanks to a stunning 3-0 second-leg win at home to wipe out a 2-0 first-leg deficit.
Prediction
Van Bronckhorst has left Alfredo Morelos out of his squad, reportedly due to concerns about his fitness and attitude after the striker was sent off against Hibs on Saturday.
His absence makes what was already a difficult task even harder for the visitors, who will be wary of a PSV side who have hit 20 goals in their six competitive games so far this season.
Rangers have managed 15 goals in their seven games in all competitions and have Antonio Colak in fine form with four goals in his last five matches, so they should at least be able to get on the scoresheet in what may be a narrow overall defeat.
Dinamo Zagreb vs Bodo/Glimt (Wednesday, 8pm)
Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt won the first leg 1-0 on home soil but Croatian opponents Dinamo Zagreb will be aiming to hit back in the return leg at the Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb.
The stats
A first-leg goal from Amahl Pellegrino separates the sides and means Bodo/Glimt are dreaming of securing a place in the Champions League group stage for the first time in their history.
They have made it this far thanks to wins over KI Klaksvik, Linfield and Zalgiris in the three qualifying rounds and they sit third in the Norwegian top flight, seven points off the top.
Kjetil Knutsen’s side have won six of their last seven league games – the only slip-up in that spell coming at the weekend when they were held to a 2-2 draw by HamKam.
Dinamo Zagreb sit at the top of the table in Croatia, having won five of their first six games this season, and beat Osijek 5-2 at the weekend.
Ante Cacic’s side have made it to the play-off round after beating Shkupi and Ludogorets in the earlier qualifying rounds and are aiming to return to the Champions League group stage for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
Prediction
Bodo/Glimt’s run through the qualifying rounds has been eye-catching but they come up against an in-form Dinamo side who have won their last four home games in all competitions, scoring at least four goals on each occasion.
The visitors have relied on home form to get them this far, losing two of their three away qualifiers and another defeat on the road seems likely to end their Champions League group stage hopes.
Trabzonspor vs FC Copenhagen (Wednesday, 8pm)
Danish champions Copenhagen hold a 2-1 advantage in this tie thanks to goals from Viktor Claesson and Lukas Lerager and now Jess Thorup’s side will look to finish the job in Turkey.
The stats
Copenhagen have not been in the Champions League group stage since 2016-17 while Trabzonspor’s sole appearance in the main draw came back in 2011-12.
Copenhagen are fifth in the Danish Superliga after picking up a disappointing nine points from their first six games, while Trabzonspor won their first two domestic league matches before going down to a 5-2 defeat to Antalyaspor at the weekend.
Prediction
With a slender advantage to defend, the visitors can progress but it could be a nervy and dramatic night in Trabzon.
Copenhagen won 3-0 last time out in the Danish top flight at Lyngby and have scored at least two goals in five of their last six matches overall, so they clearly have the firepower to edge past the hosts in what could be a high-scoring second leg.
