Glasgow Rangers now know who they will be playing in the Champions League second qualifying round, and it isn’t the easiest of tasks.
Indeed, Greek side Panathinaikos will be the opponents as the Ibrox side aim to make it through to the third round of qualifying.
The two teams have met four times previously, with Rangers failing to win a single match. In the 2003/04 Champions League group stages, the clubs drew 1-1 in Greece, before Panathinaikos secured an impressive 3-1 win at Ibrox.
After being knocked out of Europe’s premier club competition at the group stages in 2007/08, the Gers found themselves in the UEFA Cup.
A 0-0 draw in Glasgow against the Greek giants was followed by a 1-1 result in Athens courtesy of a late Nacho Novo goal. Of course, the away goal rule was in place back then, seeing the Light Blues make their first step towards the final that year.
The game will be Russell Martin’s first competitive match in charge of the club, and the supporters will be hoping for a positive result.
Given what is at stake, Martin must wish he had a couple of previous Ibrox stars available at his disposal. The lack of an excellent striker has been the club’s biggest weakness in recent years, but imagine how good it would be to see a prime Nikica Jelavic at Rangers once again?
Nikica Jelavic’s Rangers statistics
Rangers have enjoyed an affinity with Croatian centre-forwards since the turn of the century. Dado Prso must go down as one of the modern cult icons in the club’s recent history, forging an impressive duo with Novo during the 2004/05 season.
A few years ago, Antonio Colak spent a year at Ibrox. While not everyone’s cup of tea, the striker still managed to score 18 goals in 39 matches across all competitions.
It is Jelavic, however, who will go down as one of the most clinical strikers the club has had since 2000. Despite his stay in Glasgow lasting just 18 months, the former Rapid Vienna forward netted 36 goals across just 55 matches for the Gers.
Not one for having plenty of simple tap-ins within his repertoire, Jelavic was a master at making something from nothing.
Take his overhead kick against Aberdeen towards the end of the 2010/11 season, for example. The stunning effort secured a vital three points in the club’s efforts to chase down Celtic at the top of the table.
Just weeks earlier, Jelavic had scored a delightful winner in extra time against the Parkhead side to seal the League Cup for the Light Blues.
And who can forget the scenes at Rugby Park on the final day of the 2010/11 campaign? With Rangers needing a win to secure a third league title in a row, Jelavic scored a sublime free-kick and grabbed an assist in a 5-1 victory.
Rangers and Croatian centre-forwards go together like Lennon and McCartney. Could Martin be eyeing up another one during the summer transfer window?
Rangers searching for a new striker
It looks as though Cyriel Dessers might be the first big sale by Martin this summer, although there could be a slight hitch with the final transfer fee amid interest from AEK Athens.
Should the Nigerian international leave, another striker or two will be sought, especially with the clash against Panathinaikos just five weeks away.
According to a Turkish reporter, the Ibrox side are tracking Eintracht Frankfurt attacker Igor Matanović, with regard to bringing him to Glasgow.
The player still has another four years left on his contract with the Bundesliga outfit, but due to a lack of gametime, he could be available for a fee of around €5m (£4.2m).
That could be within Kevin Thelwell’s budget at Ibrox if he can move Dessers on for a substantial fee, should a move to Athens go through in the coming days or weeks.
Matanovic is still only 22 and could be an ideal signing for the new manager to bolster his attacking department. Dare I say it, but might he be the next Jelavic?
Why Rangers must sign Igor Matanovic
Amid the recent link to the youngster, analyst and scout Kai Watson profiled Matanovic on X, saying:
“Matanović struggled for game time in the Bundesliga last season at Frankfurt but excelled in 2.Bundesliga the season before for Karlsruher on loan.
Goals
14
Assists
5
Key passes per game
0.9
Shots on target per game
1.1
Big chances missed
10
Total duels won per game
6.9
“Tall (6’4), powerful, technical, dare I say, Jelavić-esque?”
Taking a look back, Jelavic was one of the club’s finest strikers from a technical point of view. He could score from anywhere, and his movement in and around the box was excellent.
Matanovic appears in a similar mould. While he netted just twice for Frankfurt last term, it was a loan stint with Karlsruher that showed his true talents.
That season, he only scored one tap-in, scoring a mix of headers, counter-attacking, and goals from outside the six-yard box.
The 22-year-old scored every 167 minutes in the German second tier, while also finishing the season with an 18% conversion rate, creating six big chances, and succeeding with 55% of his dribble attempts.
Like Jelavic, the Frankfurt star loves creating opportunities for others and is keen on using his dribbling abilities to take on opposition defenders.
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When compared to his positional peers in the Europa League last season, Matanovic ranked in the top 9% for shots on target (1.55) per 90, along with ranking in the top 12% for touches in the defensive third of the pitch (4.64) per 90, indicating how well he can help out the team when they are under attack.
Bringing in a player of this quality as soon as possible would certainly make Martin’s job easier when it comes to making progress in the Champions League.
There is still time, but with July edging ever closer, the manager must start integrating players into the first team sooner rather than later.
Jelavic was certainly one of a kind. But from Matanovic’s statistics in recent seasons, he could be a wonderful signing who will only get better and better as time goes on.
The clock is ticking.
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