SPL Betting: Falkirk v Rangers

Falkirk v Rangers – Live on Setanta Sports 1. Kick Off 12.30pm

It’s been a long time since Rangers fans went into a season with such trepidation. Exiting the Champions League before it has even begun was a huge blow – on and off the park. It may force the exit of the likes of Cousin, Darcheville or prized possessions McGregor and Cuellar – further under-strengthening Walter Smith’s squad. Without captain Barry Ferguson and with morale at an all-time low it’s not hard to see why the odds on Falkirk winning this one have been tumbling since Wednesday night.

As well as taking Rangers current predicament into account, Falkirk generally give the ‘Gers a decent match at home. In the last four games there Falkirk have drawn once and won once since 2005. Last season an injury-time strike by Kris Boyd made Rangers’ 3-1 win look more comfortable than it actually was whilst the season before, a Mark Twaddle goaled sealed a 1-0 win for the Bairns. So big John Hughes knows what it takes to get a result against the Ibrox side.

Falkirk also had a decent record on their own turf last season, losing just 5 of 19 home matches. If they can repeat that kind of form then they’ll having nothing to fear this time round.

But Falkirk’s pre-season has been almost as uninspiring as Rangers’. A 2-0 win over the much-fancied QPR offered hope for the season ahead but a disappointing tour of Holland ended with 4-0 defeat to Heerenveen on Saturday.

John Hughes has brought in a bit of experience though in the shape of Jackie McNamara, Neil McCann and Lee Bullen but has lost some creativity in Pedro Moutinho. This week’s capture of Stevie Lovell will go a long way to replacing the Portuguese however, and Hughes believes the former Aberdeen front man will add a new dimension to the Falkirk side.

Enough has been written about Rangers’ desperate performance on Tuesday so there’s no need for me to cover it here. Suffice to say that it’s going to take a helluva job to lift those players’ heads and get them motivated for a trick trip to Falkirk to kick-off the season. Without Ferguson it’s difficult to see where the ‘Gers drive and creativity will come from. So often last year they ground teams into submission but the SPL will be more prepared for their ’special’ brand of football this term.

As I alluded to earlier, the odds on Falkirk have been snapped up at 7/1 and now the best price available is just 6/1 (Boylesports, Coral, SkyBet) and I expect that to be nearer 5s by lunch time tomorrow.

Big odds like that will scare off a lot of punters, but this match looks a lot closer than the bookies have priced it up. On current form I can’t see Rangers winning this one comfortably. If they do win it will be by a single goal but that 6/1 looks great value for a Falkirk win if you’re brave enough.

If you’d rather play it a bit safer then consider backing the Bairns on the Asian Handicap with +1 goals of a start. BetInternet have Falkirk just short of evens at 37/40. That means that even if the game finishes in a draw you’ll win.

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