Rangers FC beat Braga in the Round of 32 of the Europa League and this week they take on Bayer Leverkusen in the Round of 16. And this is a big step forward for the Gers after having spent so much time in the shadows of their Glasgow rivals.
The first leg will be played this week at the Ibrox and then Rangers travel to Germany next week for the second leg. And as things stand, the match might be played behind closed doors.
Recently the German health minister has called to cancel any event which is set to have a gathering of more than a 1000 people meaning the Bayer vs Rangers FC game could be played without any fans watching from the stands.
“We must slow down the pace so that we are prepared for all situations. And major events naturally have the tendency for a lot of transmissions,” NRW state premier Armin Laschet said, as quoted by TheLocal.de.
“That’s why we will now implement this advice in the states, here in North Rhine-Westphalia and elsewhere.”
Health minister for the region, Karl-Josef Laumann has revealed that the clubs have been given a choice that either the match can be played behind closed doors or postponing them.
“I will let the clubs decide if they want to play without spectators or if they prefer to not play at all,” he told German public broadcaster ARD.
Good news for Rangers FC?
Well, postponing the match might not be an option at all since the Europa League schedule is really crushing meaning the two teams might have to play the game inside an empty stadium. And this could be a major issue for the Gers fans who have already made bookings for the away leg at the BayArena.
While at first, this might seem a bit disappointing but actually, the closed-door game might be advantageous for Rangers FC.
Well, the first leg will be played at Ibrox where the home crowd will be supporting Gerrard’s men in full voice and if they can manage to take a lead to Germany next week then defending it infront of an empty stadium might be a walk in the park for the Scottish side.
