Benfica manager Roger Schmidt could be sacked if his side do not overcome Rangers in the Europa League Round of 16.
That’s the view of the club’s former vice-president José Manuel Antunes, who was speaking after the Lisbon club were humiliated 5-0 by Portuguese rivals FC Porto at the weekend.
This comes after Benfica were also defeated 2-1 in the first leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-final by arch-rivals Sporting Lisbon earlier in the week.
According to Antunes, should Roger Schmidt fail to turn that result on its head and defeat Rangers on Europa League duties, then it will likely be curtains for the German manager.
Benfica manager’s job on line in Rangers clash
Speaking to Portuguese radio outlet Rensacença, José Manuel Antunes has admitted that Roger Schmidt’s Benfica stay in on the precipice.
Also referring to the FC Porto defeat as “incomprehensible”, the pressure is certainly mounting ahead of the Europa League tie with Rangers.
“It will always be a decision by the management, but as a fan I would see it [Schmidt’s stay] with difficulty, if we fell with Rangers, didn’t win the championship and the Cup”, said Antunes.
“With a squad much superior to that of FC Porto, it was expected that every time they played against them they would win games.
“It is incomprehensible that there was such a disaster. It is a defeat that borders on shame for the Benfica nation. It’s a completely absurd thing, it didn’t look like Benfica.”
Roger Schmidt has been in charge of Benfica since May 2022 having spent time in charge of clubs like RB Salzburg, Bayer Leverkusen, and PSV Eindhoven.
Europa League Round of 16 stage set
Rangers are set to visit the Estadio de Luz this week for the first leg of the Round of 16 Europa League clash.
The Gers have a formidable Europa League record as of late and will look to take something back to a raucous Ibrox next week with one eye on progression to the Quarter Finals.
Whilst Philippe Clement has been eager to label Benfica favourites for the tie – and they should be given how much they’ve spent on their squad – all is not rosy in Lisbon.
Throw in an injury to £30m-rated right-back Alexander Bah and suddenly the pressure mounting on Roger Schmidt will have Rangers fans licking their lips a little.
The Ibrox support know all too well that when it starts to go wrong under a manager it’s difficult to salvage and they’ll be hoping their team can strike a fatal blow over the two legs.
