Rangers could still make to the knockout stages of the Champions League – but they will need Group G leaders Sevilla to blow hot and cold to help them squeak through. Four points from their remaining games could see the Ibrox club negotiate a group that has seen some unlikely twists and turns so far.
Walter Smith’s side are in the curious position of being able to qualify with just a win and a draw from their next two games, but taking the maximum six points may still see them missing out. The club’s fate is far from being in their own hands but if other results go their way the unlikely prospect of the SPL champions extending their European campaign beyond Christmas remains a possibility.
Rangers currently sit at the bottom of Group G with only two points from four games. Sevilla top the group with ten points, followed by Unirea Urizceni on five and Stuttgart in third place with three points.
If Rangers can beat Stuttgart at Ibrox and secure a draw in Spain then they would need both Sevilla and Stuttgart to defeat Unirea Urziceni. That would leave Sevilla topping the group with 14 points, Unirea finishing last on five and Rangers on Stuttgart tied on six points. If Rangers defeat Stuttgart at Ibrox then their superior head-to-head record would see them progress.
Taking four points from two games is a tough task for a side that has failed to win in the group so far but David Weir and company drew in Germany on matchday one and a win on home soil is not impossible. With top spot assured, Sevilla may not be as committed in the final match as Rangers’ group rivals would like.
Unirea manager Dan Petrescu may already have lost the bet he made with his team that they would not pick up another group point after Ibrox but his concerns are well founded. Last season’s Romanian entrants, CFR Cluj, began their campaign with a win in Rome and a draw with Chelsea but failed to pick up a point in any of their remaining four games.
Stuttgart still retain their hopes of progressing at the expense of Rangers and Unirea. The German side gained a creditable draw in Spain on Wednesday but are struggling for form in the Bundesliga with only nine points from 11 games.
The bookmakers are in agreement that the series of results Rangers need is unlikely to come to pass. They rate Smith’s team as 9/1 shots to qualify, with Stuttgart favourites to join Sevilla in the next round at 8/11. Unirea are quoted at 13/8 to make the knockout stages after Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with the Scottish champions.
