XHERDAN ALL SET TO BOSZ IT AT IBROX
LYON coach Peter Bosz last night admitted his relief after star man Xherdan Shaqiri was given a late green light to come to Glasgow.
The Ligue 1 cracks feared the playmaker would be forced out of tonight’s Europa League showdown with Rangers amid the prospect of having to quarantine on his return to France.
But Shaqiri has been given the go-ahead after it was revealed the former Liverpool ace had already had Covid in the summer.
Brazillian duo Lucas Paqueta and Bruno Guimaraes were also cleared to travel after initial concerns they’d be blocked from entering the UK having been on international duty in a red-list country.
Bosz said: “I’m very happy, it’s the logical decision. In these coronavirus times you need to adapt to quick changes. Shaqiri is here but we have to be careful with him. He played 70 minutes last weekend, we need to protect him.”
The Lyon boss insisted he hasn’t lost any sleep over Moussa Dembele’s absence despite the former Celt’s impressive start to the season.
Bosz said: “He’s not here but other players can replace him, it’s not a huge problem. We have several possibilities to replace him, we can play in a different way.”
Bosz was in charge of the Bayer Leverkusen side that dumped Gers in the Europa League last 16 two seasons ago.
He’s aware of the Ibrox threat and reckons Steven Gerrard’s stability in the dugout will make Gers a strong test.
He said: “The manager has been there for a long time, that’s one strength.
“The players know their coach’s system. Then, of course, they have their fans too. They’re a team who are playing well.
“Our ambition is to win every game. You have to win and play well.
“If you win but you don’t play well, you won’t get there. We are on the right track but we still have to improve.”