Gerrard Singles Out Main Willem II Threat Ahead Of Rangers’ European Clash

Gerrard Singles Out Main Willem II Threat Ahead Of Rangers’ European Clash

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard said his players must be wary of Willem II striker Vangelis Pavlidis when they go up against the Dutch side in their Europa League qualifier on Thursday.

The Greek forward scored twice against Progres Niederkorn in the last round as the Eredivisie club romped to a 5-0 victory, and Gerrard knows it will be a step up when they travel to the Netherlands:

“Willem II are a good team. We know the level is going to increase dramatically from Thursday night, with all due respect (to Red Imps). They have exciting attacking players, they play with a striker who is quite physical called Pavlidis who is a goalscorer, a good player. So we know the level of the competition is going to get tougher.”

Pavlidis is only 21 years of age but he has been on fire since making the move to Willem II from German club Bochum. He scored five goals in 14 league games after joining them on an initial loan deal in January 2019.


The switch was made permanent last summer and the Greek international went on to score 13 goals in 28 appearances last campaign before the season was curtailed. After conceding for the first time in a league game this season against Hibs, Gerrard will be hoping for a better defensive display to keep out Pavlidis.