Slavia Prague have been dealt a big blow ahead of their Europa League Last 16 second-leg tie against Rangers, with key defender David Zima set to miss the match due to suspension.
Zima was cautioned just before the hour mark in the first leg in the Czech capital, triggering a one-match suspension, as he had also picked up bookings against Nice in the group stages and Leicester City in the Round of 32.
The blow will likely force Slavia boss Jindřich Trpišovský into a change of plan in defence, given that Zima has started and played the full 90 minutes in each of the Czech side’s last eight Europa League fixtures.
Ivory Coast international Simon Deli, who hasn’t featured in Europe since signing on loan from Club Brugge in February, is likely to come into the starting XI.
Meanwhile, there are doubts about the fitness of Peter Olayinka.
The forward was taken off at half-time in the first leg and missed Slavia’s 3-0 win over Mlada Boleslav on Sunday.
“We hope it will be good,” said Trpišovský on Wednesday regarding the 25-year-old’s knock [Slavia.cz]. “He joined us for the training yesterday and we will see after the training today.”
“It’s about his own feeling if he stands the pain. We believe he will be prepared as he is an important player for us. We will decide tomorrow morning.”
Rangers have some availability issues of their own, with James Tavernier and Ryan Jack both out injured, while Borna Barisic, Glen Kamara and Kemar Roofe should all feature but are walking a suspension tightrope.
Should the Gers triumph and progress to the quarter-finals, they would receive a substantial cash reward from UEFA.
