Russell Martin suffers Mikey Moore blow for Rangers v Viktoria Plzen
Rangers have faced an issue with Mikey Moore ahead of their UEFA Champions League qualifier against Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday.
Russel Martin’s team will face the Czech outfit in the first leg of their third qualifying round at Ibrox on 5 August.
The Scottish manager will be without Thelo Aasgaard and Hamza Igamane for the fixture, but the Light Blues hope to have former Go Ahead Eagles forward Oliver Antman available at Ibrox.
Moore wasn’t part of the squad as the Glaswegian outfit drew 1-1 with Motherwell at Fir Park on 2 August, and he will have to wait for his Rangers debut a bit longer.
Rangers affected by Moore delay
Moore hasn’t been cleared to face Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League, according to Record Sport.
The news outlet reports (4 August) that the Gers haven’t received a green light from UEFA for the English youngster due to his Under-18 status.
It’s been claimed that there’s been a delay regarding the 17-year-old’s inclusion in the Light Blues’ squad ahead of the first leg at Ibrox.
Moore will arguably be disappointed to miss out on playing for the Glaswegian outfit again, and it remains to be seen when he will be available.
Martin has an easy decision v Viktoria Plzen
Motherwell dominated the Gers at Fir Park, and they arguably deserved more than a point after creating several opportunities.
The Ibrox faithful had high hopes from the opening Scottish Premiership game of the season after beating Panathinaikos, but they witnessed something familiar in North Lanarkshire.
While the Light Blues were decent in Europe in the previous campaign, their performances domestically were inconsistent.
Martin was right to be angry with his Rangers players after the draw, and he should make some apparent changes at Ibrox.
| Statistics | Motherwell | Rangers |
| Posession | 38% | 62% |
| xG | 2.21 | 0.7 |
| Total shots | 17 | 15 |
| Big chances | 5 | 1 |
Kieran Dowell doesn’t deserve to be in the starting lineup against Viktoria Plzen after some underwhelming displays.
Substituting the midfield trio at Fir Park wasn’t the best decision, and the Scottish manager has hopefully learned from his mistakes.
Danilo should also be dropped to the bench. However, only time will tell how Martin will approach the Champions League game.
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