VitalRangers had a chat with Jan-Willem Spaans, a Dutch football journalist who also keeps a close eye on the Belgian game, nearby.
Ahead of Rangers clash with Royal Antwerp, we ran the rule over the first leg clash together.
Spaans attended an earlier Rangers Europa League game this season, the qualifier against Willem II, and he was impressed with what he saw.
Fast forward to the Last 32 stage, following the group stage encounter with Standard Liege, Rangers will have a rough idea of what kind of game they are in for which the Dutchman agrees with.
VR asked him for his prediction on the game:
“I would say it is likely to be more of a cagey game for both sides, I see it being defensive.”
“I dont see it being very adventurous, or that Rangers will steamroller Antwerp like they did in Tilburg (against Willem II).
“If I was a betting man, I would not predict a lot of goals tonight.”
“However, Rangers have confidence and with good reason”
Following the double-header against Belgian opposition that the Gers have already experienced this season, we all know it won’t be an easy game, indeed Standard were the better team for much of the game at Ibrox, but how do Antwerp compare to the Liege team – they faced each other with a 1-1 draw last weekend.
“I think it’s fair to say that they are relatively similar, as you saw from the weekend game.”
“Antwerp are strong, direct – not a great deal of skill but I would say they are a slightly better version of Standard.”
“That is because they have key players missing and if they were available, they would be a lot better which bodes well for Rangers!”
The Great Old enjoyed a memorable 1-0 victory over Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham in the group stage, earlier this season.
Antwerp manager Franky Vercauteren spoke to the press this week about his team’s injury problems :
He said: “We are missing some players and we are weak around the offensive area in general. We don’t get a lot of goals.”
“If you play in Europe, play at a high level, you know how difficult it can be to score goals, to create chances. At this stage you know how good your opponents are going to be.”
“You will know the team tomorrow. I will not tell you now. Two players are recuperating today, (Jeremy) Gelin and (Birger) Verstraete, who were not in the squad for the last game. They were not completely sharp or fit, but these 24 hours will be important for them.”
“We will probably be without seven or eight players. But this is the reality, we have to deal with that. We still have to believe that the squad or the team is able to challenge and beat Rangers.”
One of those missing players is the maverick Didier Lamkel Ze.
He enraged the Antwerp hardcore with his stunt aimed to force a move to Panathinaikos, when he turned up to the training ground wearing an Anderlecht shirt.
Sitting here this morning admiring the pettiness of Royal Antwerp forward Didier Lamkel Zé showing up to training in a rival Anderlecht shirt as he tries to force a move to Panathinaikos.
Of course they didn't let him in. pic.twitter.com/cp2mnHzIs8
— COPA90 (@Copa90) January 6, 2021
Spaans laughed when discussing the 24-year old attacker from Cameroon.
“He is absolute box office but a very good player.”
“There is something every week with Lamkel Ze, whether it is goals, suspensions or incidents”
“Some Antwerp ultras arrived at the training ground and tried to physically remove him.”
“In the end they made a deal with the club that if the Ultras left things alone, they had to ensure that the player left in the transfer window but the club didn’t keep their end of the bargain.”
Much of that was down to recently installed manager Vercauteren who knows that Lamkel Ze is one of his best players.
Spaans continued: “His teammates are now begrudgingly accepting him, but when he scores they don’t really join in with celebrations – the no touching instructions due to Covid is a very good excuse to avoid him.”
“He is a really good player and his absence is a boost for Rangers.”
Pity for the fans
Antwerp would have been a great venue for the travelling legions of the Rangers support.
A short bus trip or plane journey, plenty of quality beer and an abudance of chips makes this one a sore miss.
The game would have been guaranteed a great atmosphere from both sets of fans.
Spaans stated, “As a club, Antwerp have remarkable resurgence in recent years and they appear to have stabilised, including their very good current position in the league.”
“They have a fine history – nicknamed ‘The Great Old – as oldest club in Belgium, their status as the first club to be registered is reflected with the number one on their badge.”
“Antwerp are also notorious for their support – very vocal, with a reputation for hooliganism as well.”
“The Bosuilstdion is a lovely, traditional football ground.”
All that is missing for a proper European night is the fans but it is what is.
The Rangers players should be relishing this stage, to go out and bring back a positive result to Ibrox and hopefully they will rise to the challenge.
Graeme Hanna
@graeme818
Jan Willem Spaans is a Dutch freelance football journalist, you can find him on Twitter @janwillemspaans