Oliver Antman update emerges for Rangers v Viktoria Plzen as two ruled out
Rangers face Viktoria Plzen in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round on Tuesday.
Russell Martin’s team will host the Czech outfit at Ibrox on 5 August as they hope to make further progress in the European competition.
The Gers are coming off a 1-1 draw against Motherwell at Fir Park on 2 August, and the Scottish manager will definitely hope for a better performance in G51.
Oliver Antman’s transfer to Ibrox from Go Ahead Eagles has been confirmed, and supporters will be desperate to see him in action soon.
Thelo Aasgaard and Hamza Igamane out, Antman could feature
Martin will have to wait and see whether Antman can be registered in time to feature against Viktoria Plzen.
The Scottish manager revealed that Thelo Aasgaard and Hamza Igamane are still on the sidelines after missing the game at Fir Park.
With the second leg of the Champions League qualifier taking place at the Doosan Arena on 12 August, the 39-year-old head coach arguably needs a positive result at Ibrox.
Speaking to the media, as relayed by the Glaswegian outfit on X (4 August), Martin said: “Thelo [Aasgaard] and Hamza [Igamane] won’t make it in time for tomorrow evening. Hopefully, Antman will be registered in time, we’ll need to wait and see.”
Motherwell draw gives Martin much to think about at Rangers
Martin should finally drop Kieran Dowell from the Gers’ starting lineup after his underwhelming displays in recent matches.
The Englishman didn’t do much in the two matches against Panathinaikos and should be replaced by Djeidi Gassama, Findlay Curtis, or even Antman if he can be part of the squad.
In the previous campaign, the Light Blues’ domestic form didn’t seem to affect their displays in the Europa League, and the same might be happening under the Scottish manager.
| Statistics | Motherwell | Rangers |
| Posession | 38% | 62% |
| xG | 2.21 | 0.7 |
| Total shots | 17 | 15 |
| Big chances | 5 | 1 |
Viktoria Plzen will be a tough test for Rangers, but the core of the current group has shown that they can turn up in the biggest games.
While the Gers’ inconsistency isn’t ideal, and it’s something Martin needs to address, there will be confidence among the Ibrox faithful that they can beat the Czech side.
It will be interesting to see whether the former Southampton boss will change his system a bit after the Light Blues’ struggles at Fir Park.
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