Pavel Sulc to miss Rangers tie as Plzen star finalises move to ‘renowned club’
Pavel Sulc will not travel with Viktoria Plzen to Glasgow for their Champions League qualifier against Rangers on Tuesday as “a transfer abroad is being finalised”.
The Czech club’s official website did not reveal the destination of the midfielder’s impending move but confirmed he is no longer in coach Miroslav Koubek’s squad for the first leg of the third-round qualifier at Ibrox.
Chairman and chief executive Adolf Sadek told Plzen’s official website: “Pavel has been given the green light by the club to transfer abroad.
“All the formalities, including a medical examination, are currently being finalised.
“If everything goes according to plan, he will transfer to a renowned European club.”
The absence of Czech Republic international Sulc will be a boost for the Light Blues, who beat Panathinaikos 3-1 on aggregate in the second-round qualifier but started their William Hill Premiership campaign with a deflating 1-1 draw with Motherwell at Fir Park.
Plzen beat Hearts 2-0 on aggregate in last season’s Europa League play-off, registering 1-0 wins at home and away before finishing 16th in the league phase with 12 points from eight fixtures.
After beating Ferencvaros of Hungary 3-1 in the knockout play-off, they lost 3-2 on aggregate to Italian giants Lazio in the round of 16.
The Czech outfit showed their mettle to overcome Servette in this season’s second-round Champions League qualifier.
After losing 1-0 at home in the first leg against the Swiss side, Koubek’s men won 3-1 in the return game in Geneva to go through on a 3-2 aggregate.
Plzen started their domestic league campaign with a 5-1 win over Pardubice and a 1-1 draw with Jablonec.
The winners of the third-round qualifier will face Austrian side Salzburg or Club Brugge of Belgium in the play-offs.