As one hurdle is removed, another appears, as the return of football lurches from one problem to the next with the Government’s quarantine guidelines potentially playing havoc with Rangers Europa League tie with Bayer Leverkusen in Germany.
The Scottish Sun reports that Rangers players are currently expected to be placed in quarantine for two-weeks after they return from the continent which conflicts with the SPFL’s plans to kick-off the domestic campaign in August.
The last 16 tie is currently 3-1 in the German’s favour and UEFA have pencilled in the 8th of August for the second-leg in the hope that travel restrictions will be adapted for football teams if suitable control measures can be adopted.
An official announcement is expected in the near future from UEFA detailing the exact format for the completion of the Europa League and Champions League and President, Aleksander Ceferin, is keen for both to be finished in August:
“We have a concrete plan. I can say the European season will be finished — if everything remains as it is now — in August.”
With the fixture likely to be behind closed doors Leverkusen are losing one advantage, however, they have already resumed playing games which will more than make up for the lack of home fans, the Gers faced a daunting task as it was needing to score at least three goals but the last thing they needed was trying to overturn the lead struggling for match fitness whilst the German’s are well into their stride.
With the coronavirus pandemic governance changing on an almost weekly basis it is unlikely that the status quo will remain by the time it comes to August, stranger things have happened but it would take a performance similar to the one against Lyon in 2007 to see Steven Gerrard’s men reach the giddy heights of the quarter-finals.