Rangers have been handed a boost ahead of their Europa League last 32 tie with Royal Antwerp after it emerged that their manager, Ivan Leko, has left to join Chinese side Shanghai SIPG, according to a report in Glasgow Live.
When the draw was first made, Antwerp had been sitting level on points with Standard Liege in the Juniper League but are now up to fifth in the table, a statement from Antwerp said of Leko’s departure:
“Antwerp coach Ivan Leko has confirmed that he will end his current contract with immediate effect.
“The club regrets that Ivan Leko terminates his contract prematurely, but wishes him every success in his further career. The club is now taking the time to appoint a new head coach.
“Communication will not take place until that appointment has been ratified.”
Changing manager half-way through a season can go either way and a team that has been showing signs of progress recently might have to contend with a manager looking to bring their own players in at short notice in January whilst also implementing their own style of play.
Will Rangers go through Antwerp?
Yes
No
Despite beating Liege both home and away they were certainly no mugs and that Antwerp beat Tottenham Hotspur in the group stages should also serve as a reminder that there are no easy games at this stage of the competition.
It might only be a small difference but sometimes it’s the smallest of margins that can be the difference between success and failure and we will take anything that we can get if it improves our chances of getting to the last 16 for the second year in a row.