Benfica crisis deepens ahead of Rangers showdown as key man OUT and 'emergency meeting' leaves boss on the brink

Things go from bad to worse for Benfica ahead of their clash with Rangers as the news emerges that key defender Alexander Bah is likely to miss the Europa League showdown.

Meanwhile it's also being claimed in Portugal that an 'emergency meeting' has been held in the boardroom - with manager Roger Schmidt facing the boot if they don't get a positive result. Benfica are coming apart at the seams and their weekend annihilation of Porto was the low point, going 5-0 down to their title rivals and allowing Sporting to leapfrog them into top spot.

The result was so embarrassing their social media team stopped delivering updates after the fourth goal. Manager Schmidt is under serious scrutiny and Correio Da Manha in Portugal say his position will be considered if they don't get an 'immediate reaction' against Philippe Clement's team on Thursday in the first leg of their Europa League last 16 clash. That's after an 'emergency meeting' was held to assess the situation.

But it doesn't look any easier for Schmidt as it's also reported by Record he will be without key man Bah for at least the first leg. The Denmark full-back also missed the clash with Porto and his absence was noted, a makeshift defence crumbling and shipping five goals to blow the title race wide open.

It's expected he'll be out while Juan Bernat, their usual starting left-back, has been out since October and is still some way from a return. It means the likelihood of a makeshift defence with centre-back Morato playing at left-back and midfielder Fredrik Aursnes playing right-back.