The Matchday 1 clash of the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League group stage between Rangers (Scotland) and Genk (Belgium) will take place on September 25 at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow. Rangers vs. Genk: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Rangers
The Scots have begun their fifth consecutive season from the early stages of the Champions League. They managed to defeat Panathinaikos and Viktoria Plzeň, but unexpectedly lost to Club Brugge in the playoffs to the main stage of the Champions League, with scores of 1-3 and 0-6. Last season, Rangers also played in the Europa League group stage, finishing 8th (4 wins and 2 draws in 8 matches), and reached the quarter-finals of the tournament, where they were eliminated by Athletic Bilbao (0-0 and 0-2).
- The club has not won in regular time in 5 of their last 7 matches in this European competition (2 draws and 3 losses).
- Rangers have not scored more than one goal in 90 minutes in 6 of their last 8 home matches in the Europa League.
- The Scots have not won the second half in 8 of their last 9 matches in this tournament (5 draws and 3 losses).
Predicted lineup for Rangers (4-2-3-1)
Jack Butland – John Souttar, James Tavernier, Derek Cornelius, Jaden Megoma – Nicolas Raskin, Mohamed Diomande – Jayden Gassama, Mikey Moore, Telo Osgard – Bojan Miovski.
Defender Max Aarons is suspended for this match.
Genk
The Belgians started from the playoffs to the Europa League group stage thanks to finishing 3rd in their domestic league. Thorsten Fink's side easily handled Lech, defeating the Polish team with a resounding away win (5-1 and 1-2). Last year, the club did not participate in European competitions, and the season before, they qualified for the Conference League group stage but did not advance further despite earning 9 points.
- In their last 9 Europa League matches, the club has only secured 1 win in regular time (3 draws and 5 losses).
- Genk have not scored more than one goal in 90 minutes in 10 of their last 12 games in this European competition.
- Away from home, the Belgians have not lost in regular time in 6 of their last 8 away matches in this tournament (3 wins and 3 draws).
Predicted lineup for Genk (4-2-3-1)
Tobias Laval – Zakaria El Ouahdi, Mujaid Sadick, Matte Smets, Joris Kayembe – Nicolas Zattleberger, Bryan Heynen – Patrick Groszowski, Jarne Stekkers, Junya Ito – Youssef Erabi.
Referee
Matej Jug (Slovenia)
Matches – 14 (International matches, 2024/25–2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 64;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.6;
Red cards shown – 3;
Average fouls per match – 26;
Penalties – 29%.
Rangers vs. Genk: Match Prediction
The Scots are regular participants in European competitions, consistently reaching the spring stages of continental tournaments. They often progress to the later stages thanks to strong performances at home. In their last 8 European matches, Rangers have not lost at Ibrox 7 times (4 wins and 3 draws).
Genk has made sporadic appearances in European competitions over the past six years, but has never advanced to the playoffs. The team often falters due to poor away performances. In their last 16 away matches in European competitions, the Belgians have only won 3 times (5 draws and 8 losses). Therefore, with some caution, I suggest a handicap on the home side in this encounter.
My prediction – Rangers with a handicap (0)
* The starting lineup for each team is based on their last match.
