Prior to playing Philippe Clement’s Rangers in this week’s opening leg of their Europa League round-of-16 match, Benfica is under a lot of strain.

In an interview with Bola Branca of Radio Renascença today, former vice president of Benfica José Manuel Antunes hinted at potential outcomes in the event of a defeat by Rangers.

“As a fan, I would find it difficult [to keep Schmidt] if we went out with Rangers and didn’t win the league and cup, but that will always be a board decision.”

Antunes went so far as to say that the coach wasn’t supposed to apologise for the outcome.

To mention so to the players of Benfica is a complex error. It’s a lack of awareness of club culture. That concerns me; after a year and a half, you ought to have a better understanding.

On Thursday, Benfica and Rangers will play the first leg of their round-of-16 match at Estádio da Luz. A week later, the final match will take place at Ibrox.

Although it seems unlikely, the Eagles’ elimination from the competition increases the likelihood of firing the coach in between the two games.

Benfica is now one point behind Sporting, who have also played one fewer game, in the league table, thus they are far from having a dreadful season.

However, the crushing loss to Porto caught their supporters off guard, and Roger Schmidt will be even more motivated to take on Rangers going forward.

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