Key Viktoria Plzen midfielder ruled out vs Rangers
Zeljkovic has been ruled out of the match after being shown a straight red card in the victory over Servette in the previous round.
The midfielder was ordered off by referee Alejandro Muniz Ruiz in just the 66th minute of the 3-2 victory in Switzerland on Wednesday evening.
He will serve a one-match suspension in the first leg, on Tuesday, August 5, against Rangers, but should be back in contention for the second leg at home on Tuesday, August 12.
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Zeljkovic was immediately sent off by Spanish official Ruiz after a lunging tackle just inside the Servette half.
The defensive midfielder caught Servette's Bradley Mazikou with a late challenge, leaving his opponent sprawling on the ground.
A red card was issued promptly by the referee with no VAR intervention as the decision was supported by officials watching on the monitor.
Meanwhile, Viktoria Plzen's game against Mlada Boleslav this weekend has been postponed as they prepare to face Rangers.
The Czech side launched an appeal to the country's football chiefs, given that they'd be facing Boleslav this Saturday, and then travelling to face Russell Martin's men at [[Ibrox]] just 72 hours later.
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Daily Record
26 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Russell Martin insists Rangers blast came from place of love and is not an attack on individuals
His full-time reaction from the opening day draw at Motherwell grabbed the headlines as he filleted his side. At least Russell Martin is still able to crack a joke. At his press conference ahead of Rangers' Champions League qualifying tie against Viktoria Plzen at Ibrox, a TV camera operator asked: 'Can you just hang on for a second'? The Rangers boss replied: 'I'm hanging on, and it's only been three games'. So he's still smiling, for now anyway. But it was obviously in stark contrast to his mood after Saturday's 1-1 draw at Motherwell on the opening day of the Premiership season. Not for the first time in recent years, it has put Rangers on the back foot - and two points behind Celtic - early on. But it was the manager's reaction at full-time that grabbed most of the headlines. He accused his players of being egotistical and self-centred. He questioned their attitude and application. After one league game as Gers gaffer, it was a filleting for the ages. And it led to some of Martin's doubters questioning whether it was ill-advised, especially so soon into his Ibrox reign. Of course, he's under pressure in this job. That comes with the territory. But this wasn't a rant at the end of his Rangers tenure. It was an early warning to his players that Martin isn't about to settle for being second best in Glasgow. He assured the players that it came from a place of LOVE, as opposed to it being a scattergun assassination of his squad. In the build-up to this European tie, he's adamant the reaction has been positive. But Martin warned that any individual had responded negatively - it would probably have told him they really shouldn't be at Rangers in the first place. As he looked forward to the Czechs' visit, while reflecting on the weekend, he said: 'If the players know the coaching staff by now, they'll know it all came from a place of love and care for them. 'Ultimately, we are here for the players. 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'If it hurts you to the point where you feel you've been singled out, that's probably an issue of you not being all in at this club or with us. 'I don't worry about it being detrimental on the team. I've questioned teams in the past about attitude and the response has been fantastic. 'I guess this is where you learn a lot about people. 'But I'm really comfortable saying where it comes from. It's not a concerted effort to out anyone or beat anyone. 'We're here and we're going to be honest with everyone. 'That has served us well so far. I'm pretty sure it will serve us well again and we'll be really successful. 'We just have to get through some teething problems.' What makes it so hard for Martin to accept - when he has to question work-rate or attitude - is that he had to graft for everything he got as a player. What he lacked in ability, he made up for in effort and commitment. And that's why it frustrates him when he sees players with more talent than he had not giving it everything. He said: 'I understand why everyone isn't the same as me. 'I achieved what I did in my career purely from hard work and being resilient. 'It wasn't talent at all. I captained most of the teams I played for because I wanted to help people and work for the team. 'I just think it has to be a minimum requirement. As a footballer, you work so hard to get to a club like this. 'You need a level of talent and resilience to find your way here. 'But when you get here, you can't take your foot off the gas. 'The demands here are huge and sometimes it's too much for people. 'Our job is to make it as easy as possible for them to be successful. But the level of effort and attitude has to be there all the time.' Martin has vowed to leave behind the players who don't buy into what he's trying to do at Rangers. That means getting rid of them, which hasn't been easy for this club in recent years. So is Martin concerned that could create a problem? He said: 'No, I don't think so. We'll learn, we'll see. 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Scotsman
26 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Russell Martin prepares to let us all in on real Rangers thoughts - reactions speak louder than words
After spearing his flops at Fir Park, now head coach has to go again in Europe Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Reactions speak louder than words. The Rangers camp have come out with all the right noises since head coach Russell Martin filleted his players at the weekend and now he - and the Ibrox fanbase - will be watching closely to see how they perform against Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday night. This Champions League third qualifying round tie is an important one for Rangers. They are already assured a place in the Europa League, but reaching the play-offs - where they will face either Club Brugge or Salzburg - would be an excellent achievement given the state of flux, and indeed tumult, the team is in. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Martin has presided over three competitive matches: one win, two draws, a trio of unconvincing performances. Had Panathinaikos not been so meek in front of goal, it would be them preparing to face the Czechs. Rangers showed admirable fortitude in the last round, only to let their mask slip and revert to type with a sloppy display at Motherwell in the Premiership. As Martin said, they were lucky to draw 1-1. Rangers trudge off after the 1-1 draw with Motherwell. | SNS Group Old habits die hard. Martin alluded to that in his frank post-match interview at Fir Park. If that is the case, though, then we can expect a strong performance from Rangers against Plzen. Europe is where they have excelled over the past three seasons. In that time, no manager has been quite as honest as Martin. His assessment of the squad chimed with many supporters and onlookers. The coach questioned work-rate, attention to instructions and attitudes. Will some his players have dropped their 'egos'? Will they be given a chance to? Martin's team selection for the visit of Plzen will be telling. He made his ninth signing of an already frantic transfer window on Monday afternoon when Finland internationalist Oliver Antman arrived from Go Ahead Eagles. Rangers are believed to have spent upwards of £3 million for the winger, who will surely come in on the right flank. Depending on registration, he may not play on Tuesday, but should enhance the Ibrox forward line in time. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Plzen are without their star man Rangers will hope they can unleash him on a play-off. Viktoria Plzen are a handy European outfit with recent experience of going deep in the Europa and Conference Leagues, but they are not a fearsome outfit. They arrive in Glasgow diminished after Lyon brokered a £7.5m deal for their star midfielder Pavel Sulc. Plzen came back from two goals down to overcome Swiss side Servette in the previous round, and last year defeated Hearts home and away in the Europa League play-off. The goal at Ibrox is to take a lead over to Plzen next week - the beer capital of the Czech Republic. Ibrox has been a fortress for Rangers on the continent and regardless of the angst and rancour from Saturday, the players will need their backing. In return, Martin and the fans want to see a proper response. Many of this squad are dining in the last-chance saloon. The number of new signings will hit double digits by the end of the month. Lyall Cameron and Cyriel Dessers were two in a minority to win praise from the manager after Motherwell and they are both pressing for starts. Who doesn't make the starting XI will be just as revealing. Cameron was the Rangers player chosen to do pre-match media duties, which is a clue in itself. 'We know Saturday wasn't good enough,' the midfielder said. 'I want to come on and help the team to win. We need to win games. We all understand the manager was justified at the weekend as we were not good enough. We need to show that this has motivated us to be better.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Scottish Sun
26 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Rangers UCL opponents Viktoria Plzen set to lose star player as multi-million pound man's absence ‘a huge loss'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) VIKTORIA PLZEN boss Miroslav Koubek admitted losing star player Pavel Sulc before their Rangers showdown is a huge blow. The attacking midfielder was last night finalising an expected £7.5 million switch to French giants Olympique Lyon. Sign up for the Rangers newsletter Sign up 3 Miroslav Koubek will be without star man Pavel Sulc for the Rangers tie Credit: Kenny Ramsay 3 Sulc has played 167 times for Viktoria Plzen, racking up 78 goal contributions Credit: Alamy The Czech Republic international played a key role as Plzen beat Servette 3-1 last week to book their trip to Glasgow tonight. He failed to travel to Scotland and gutted Koubek said: "It's definitely going to affect us. "We have to work without Sulc and that's a big loss. "He's been absolutely amazing for us for the last three years in attack. "We have to deal with it and sort it out as a team. "What's important now is the strength of motivation for other players who in the past haven't played because he was on the pitch. "I'm hoping these other players will now have a chance to show their potential." Like the whole of Scottish football, Koubek couldn't help but pick up on Russell Martin's blast at his players on Saturday evening after Gers' disappointing display at Fir Park. Experienced boss Koubek, 73, believes the Light Blues gaffer was simply firing up his troops for tonight's Champions League duel. Koubek said: "I noticed some things in the media. Players are running the Rangers dressing room - Martin knows EXACTLY what he's doing "However, they have beaten Panathinaikos in the previous round, which is a really great success. "OK, they didn't have that success in their first league game. "But I wonder if the coach did it in a cunning way to motivate the players more for this match against us." Now in his third stint as Plzen boss, Koubek admits it will be a special moment in his lengthy coaching career to lead a side out at Ibrox. And while they have the same failsafe that Gers have of guaranteed Europa League football, the former Sparta Prague goalkeeper is still aiming for the Champions League proper. Koubek said: "I'm 74 years old soon and in my whole career I was looking up to teams like Glasgow Rangers. "I have seen them on TV and witnessed the atmosphere at Ibrox. "I never imagined I would lead a club like Viktoria Plzen, which I respect so much, against a team like Glasgow Rangers. "Yes, we have a certain guarantee now in terms of the Europa League. "But we have to be ambitious and the goal of every sportsman is to reach the highest level." Plzen skipper Lukas Hejda admits it will be strange to take to the field without talisman Sulc to drive the team forward. Like his gaffer Koulec, the 35-year-old stopper is determined to reach the latter stages of the competition. Hejda said: "I don't know how it's going to be without Sulc. "He has played in 90 percent of our games in the last three years, so it's difficult to know how different it will be. 3 "I would say it's easier now we know we have a Europa League spot guaranteed. "But as a team we want to fight for the opportunity to go to the Champions League. "That is our aim and we are here to get the best result we can." Hejda has already tasted football on Scottish soil after helping Plzen see off Hearts at Tynecastle in their Europa League play-off last season. The Czech international is hoping for a similar result tonight but thinks his pals face a much sterner task at Ibrox. Hejda said: "We have one win from Scotland already and we would definitely like to add a second one! "However, we can't compare the matches because the teams are very different. "The 3-1 win against Servette in the last round was a great result for us away from home. "But we can't expect anything like that here, because Rangers have different qualities." Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
