Russell Martin could force sack decision with Rangers win vs Genk
Russell Martin is under huge pressure at Rangers, but he is not the only one who could lose his job.
Rangers are winless in the league, but will hope to build upon their Premier Sports Cup victory over Hibernian with a strong start to their Europa League campaign.
Martin was faced with protests from fans calling for his dismissal, but he appears to have saved his job for now at least, and will aim to beat Genk in their upcoming clash.
Genk have been disappointing in the Belgian Pro League, and Rangers will hope to fare better than they did against fellow Belgian side Club Brugge in the Champions League.
Genk manager also on brink of sack ahead of Rangers clash
With Martin battling to save his job, Genk manager Thorsten Fink is also under huge pressure after a woeful start to the season.
Genk sit in 14th place in the Jupiler Pro League, with two wins from their opening eight league games, and Fink is under huge pressure.
| Stat | Russell Martin | Thorsten Fink |
| Matches | 13 | 10 |
| Wins | 4 | 3 |
| Draws | 5 | 2 |
| Losses | 4 | 5 |
| Goals | 17 | 16 |
| Conceded | 19 | 15 |
| Points per game | 1.31 | 1.10 |
| League position | 11th | 14th |
Belgian outlet Het Laatste Nieuws has reported that if Genk do not beat Rangers, or win their local derby with Sint-Truidense VV on the weekend, that Fink will be sacked.
While a loss at Ibrox to Genk may not see Martin sacked just yet, it would further add to the pressure he is facing after a winless start to the Scottish Premiership campaign.
Rangers need to beat Genk
Rangers need to beat Genk for several reasons, as they now have the opportunity to get their Europa League campaign off to a perfect start.
While some Rangers fans are less concerned about Europe and would rather see domestic success, the financial benefits of reaching the Europa League knockouts are significant, and this would benefit the club as a whole.
After such a difficult period, a win at Ibrox on a European night would give the players and fans a much-needed confidence boost, and Martin will hope that new signing Bojan Miovski can find the net again after scoring against Hibernian.
Both Martin and Fink will be under pressure to win, and a Rangers victory could spell the beginning of the end for the Genk manager.
Enjoyed this article? Stay connected with all the latest Rangers news, updates, and behind-the-scenes content by following us on our new Instagram account – @ibroxnews247