Zenit vs Rangers: Uefa Cup final tips

Rangers line up against Zenit St Petersburg on Wednesday night in what is probably the most bizarre Uefa Cup final match-up since Gothenburg beat Dundee Utd back in 1987. Click here for a free £25 to bet on Zenit vs Rangers with Blue Square It's actually no bad thing that football fans will get to see two outsiders fighting for major European silverware - particularly two sides for whom winning the Uefa Cup actually means something. However, when it comes to picking a winner, a contest between two such rank underdogs is far from straightforward. Take Rangers. With the exception of their Champions League second qualifying match against FK Zeta, they have been underdogs in each of their subsequent 13 European ties. After getting knocked out of the Champions League Walter Smith's men somehow negotiated a maze of Uefa Cup obstacles in the form of Panathinaikos, Werder Bremen, Sporting Lisbon and Fiorentina. Even staunch Gers fans will admit that it has not been pretty to watch. The Ibrox outfit mustered just two wins from eight knockout matches in the competition, stacking the midfield with numbers and relying on a combination of good goalkeeping, away goals and penalties to reach the promised land of Eastlands. Their approach in Manchester will be no different. Zenit, meanwhile, have contrasted indifferent domestic form with an equally-perplexing sequence of Uefa Cup results. After coming an unflattering third in their qualifying group, Dick Advocaat's men stunned Villarreal, Marseille, Bayer Leverkusen and, most remarkably of all, Bayern Munich, trouncing the German champions 5-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals. So which of the outsiders do you back? The Russians are rightly favourites at 13/10 given that they have scored nine goals in their last three European matches but it's worth pointing out that they tend to do their damage against attacking sides. And Rangers are to attacking football what Paul Gascoigne is to sanity. They are also without their leading Uefa Cup goalscorer, with 10, Pavel Pogrebnyak. However, the Russians will be the fitter of the two sides, having only recently begun their football season, unlike Rangers who are limping towards the end of another gruelling campaign. Zenit have even had their recent league fixtures postponed, while Rangers have had to soldier on in their battle-weary quest to clinch their highly ambitious quadruple. Without Pogrebnyak, Zenit will not be as free-scoring as usual but they should have enough in the tank to follow in the footsteps of 2005 winners CSKA Moscow and clinch the Uefa Cup. Verdict: 2pts Zenit to win by one goal @ 11/4 (Blue Square); 2pts 0-1 goals @ 13/8 (Blue Square); last goal 72 mins+ @ Evens Click here for a free £25 to bet on Zenit vs Rangers with Blue Square Blue Square, one of the leading online bookmakers is offering a FREE £25 Bet for Betting Choice users. Simply stake up to £25 and we will match your bet. Blue Square is a leading UK bookmaker offering a huge range of special bets and promotions. #1 Betfair Bonus £25 Free Bet.#2 Ladbrokes £25 Free Bet.#3 Paddypower Bonus £20 Free Bet.