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In the Champions League qualifying playoff tie between PSV Eindhoven and Rangers, the second leg is finely poised after a 2-2 draw in the first leg at Ibrox Stadium. PSV came from behind twice to secure a vital draw, with Luuk de Jong scoring a late equalizer. The Dutch side will be looking to build on their impressive 23-game unbeaten run, which stretches back to February’s Europa League defeat to Sevilla. They have also shown strong form at Philips Stadion, winning 13 and drawing one of their last 14 matches there.
Rangers, on the other hand, will be hoping to replicate their performance from last year, where they secured a 1-0 victory at Philips Stadion. They come into the second leg with a six-game unbeaten run, including a 2-0 win against Ross County in their latest Scottish Premiership match. Rangers have also shown their attacking prowess, scoring twice in five of their last six matches.
Both teams have some injury concerns heading into the second leg. PSV lost two of their center-backs, Andre Ramalho and Olivier Boscagli, in the first leg, although Ramalho has returned to full training and should be available. Boscagli’s participation is uncertain, and other players including Patrick van Aanholt, Mauro Junior, and Fredrik Oppegard are also being monitored. Rangers have no new injury concerns but will be without long-term ACL victim Steven Davis and Ridvan Yilmaz, who is nursing a strain.
In terms of head-to-head record, PSV have only managed to beat Rangers once in their previous nine meetings. This includes a 1-0 victory for Rangers in the 2010-11 Europa League last-16 tie.
The prediction for the second leg is a 2-1 victory for PSV, giving them a 4-3 aggregate win. Despite their defensive concerns, the Dutch side’s attacking prowess and home advantage are expected to be the deciding factors. Rangers will likely accept demotion to the Europa League.
Overall, it promises to be an exciting and closely contested match as both teams battle it out for a place in the Champions League group stage.
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