The UEFA Cup begun last July and has seen 123 European football clubs contest 220 matches, scoring 561 goals. It now comes down to just two teams, Glasgow Ranger and Zenit St.Petersburg, one of which will replace the name of Sevilla, that has won the trophy for the previous two years. The final is being played at the City of Manchester Stadium on Wednesday night. Glasgow Rangers have become victims of their own success.

Their long season has seen them play a record number of games, following success in the Scottish League Cup the Gers play the final of Scottish FA Cup ten days after this showdown, with another three league fixtures sandwiched between, which will determine whether they pip Celtic to the Scottish Premier League title. To add further fatigue the Scots’ semi-final second against Fiorentina went to penalties. The fatigue factor will have been factored into the odds it seems as Rangers are out to 3.95 at Betfair.

Coach, Walter Smith, will need all his experience to maintain the mental freshness of his players, in the face of such an arduous season, which has included two recent Old Firm defeats to domestic rivals, Celtic. Smith has had some good news on the injury front with Lee McCulloch and DaMarcus Beasley recently recovered.

Bettors will have to balance the importance of continuity through the season against the drain that their fixture schedule has produced; Rangers played a league game five days before the final whereas their opponents have been free since defeating Bayern Munich 4-1 on May 7th.
 

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