Rangers: Benfica riddled ahead of Europa League showdown after new reveal
Benfica are “riddled with weaknesses” ahead of their Europa League round of 16 encounter with Rangers.
That is according to journalist Stephen McGowan, with the first leg set to take place in Portugal on Thursday (7 March).
The return leg is scheduled for Ibrox on 14 March, with Rangers making it to the knockout stages after topping their group.
“Despite a turnover of £167million – almost exactly double the Rangers figure of £84million – Benfica are a team riddled with weaknesses,” McGowan wrote for the Scottish Daily Mail (page 69, 6 March). “In recent seasons, the Ibrox side have exploited the turmoil of European opponents and a weekend 5-0 defeat to Porto has placed coach Roger Schmidt under severe pressure.
“Despite landing Argentine World Cup winner Angel Di Maria for a second spell and boasting two outstanding talents in 20-year-old Portuguese international central defender Antonio Silva and 19-year-old midfielder Joao Neves, the Portuguese champions have been underwhelming in Europe.
“They lost the first four games of their Champions League group and finished a distant third to Real Sociedad and Inter Milan. They also clung on against French mid-table side Toulouse in the Europa League play-off round.”
Can Rangers overcome Benfica in the Europa League?
Benfica have certainly had a tricky time of it in Europe this season, but their determination and indeed talented squad means they still have a chance of silverware.
They will, of course, be disappointed that it won’t come in the form of the Champions League, but the Europa League trophy would still be a fantastic achievement for the Portuguese club.
Standing in their way, however, are the Gers, who should be quietly confident given how they topped a challenging Group C.
At one stage it seemed that the Ibrox club would not even progress to the next stage, but a remarkable turn of events saw them clinch top spot.
Philippe Clement’s side do, however, go into the game on the back of a hugely disappointing defeat to Motherwell, who secured a shock 2-1 Scottish Premiership win at Ibrox on Saturday (2 March).
With Benfica having also lost at the weekend, neither side will want to slip up in Portugal on Thursday night.
In other Rangers news, the Gers have a bright future to look forward to after what happened in the Scottish Youth Cup.
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