Rangers to make flying start

Rangers can close the gap on great rivals Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premier League by beating visitors Motherwell on Wednesday evening.

They are no better than 30-100 with VC Bet, although money buyers could argue that this is almost value given that Ladbrokes are quoting 1-5.

However, a better option is the 5-6 on offer with Paddy Power for Rangers to be in front at half-time and full-time. Rangers, seven points behind Celtic with three games in hand, have little margin for error, and with a hectic schedule coming up they will be in a hurry to put this one to bed.

With that in mind, it is interesting that Walter Smith, Rangers’ manager, has called on his players to be sharper from the start than in a goalless draw at Hibernian last Sunday.

The game is every bit as important to Motherwell, who, though well behind the front two, have a one-point advantage in third place and are in pursuit of a UEFA Cup place.

They are likely to bring back Ross McCormack, Stephen Hughes and Graeme Smith, absent from a 2-1 defeat by Celtic on Saturday, but also have a demanding end to the season with a big game against Aberdeen coming up on Saturday.

In the overall market, Motherwell are best at 10-1 with Ladbrokes and Coral, with the draw quoted a general 9-2.