Rangers head to Algeria with 2-0 lead as MC Alger face reported pay crisis

Rangers will leave Nigeria on Tuesday for Algeria, carrying a 2-0 lead into Friday's CAF Champions League second-leg tie against MC Alger. The match is set for the Stade Ali-Ammar in Douéra, with kickoff at 8 p.m. Nigerian time.

The first leg was played last Saturday at the Moshood Abiola Sports Arena in Abeokuta, where the Nigerian champions won 2-0. The aggregate winner over the two legs will reach the group stage of the CAF Champions League, the stage that brings the big money and continental exposure.

Warning from the league office

Ayo Abdulrahman, chief operating officer of the EuroMatch Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), told the Rangers squad not to relax. He said the players showed determination to win even after going a man down in the first leg, and that the two-goal win was a fitting reward for their effort.

“It’s not going to be a tea party; don’t expect them to offer you flowers,” Abdulrahman said, according to NPFL Media.

He stressed concentration, tactical discipline and the need to defend well when the game demands it.

Trouble in the MC Alger camp

On the other side, Algerian media personality Chaib Kahoul said on Dzair Sports on Monday that MC Alger head coach Ben Yahia has not been paid for five months. Kahoul also said the club is facing financial constraints.

MC Alger had not officially reacted to the claim as of Tuesday evening. The report is an allegation from a media commentator and has not been confirmed by the club or by Ben Yahia.

For Rangers and their fans, the trip is about protecting a lead and finishing the job. For MC Alger, it is a must-win night at home, with talk of money problems hanging over the build-up.

What happens next: Rangers travel on Tuesday, and the second leg kicks off Friday at 8 p.m. Nigerian time. A place in the group stage is on the line.