Borussia Dortmund are sweating on their leading man but Christian Nerlinger reckons there could be a helpful plot twist for Rangers if the Germans are forced to abandon their one-man production.
Nerlinger - who starred for both Gers and Dortmund - reckons Marco Rose’s side are over reliant on their Norwegian superstar.
With their all-action hero, they’re capable of gunning down any team in Europe.
But when he’s not available, they go from box-office to bog standard - as they proved when they were spanked 5-2 by Bayer Leverkusen earlier this month.
And if the 21-year-old can’t shake off the muscle issue that’s kept him out of action for three weeks, then ex-Ibrox ace Nerlinger reckons Giovanni van Bronkhorst’s team could cook up a thriller to remember in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Former Germany international Nerlinger told Record Sport : “Dortmund are a very strong side normally but it’s been interesting to see both them and Bayern suffer some matches where you think, ‘What’s going on?’ since they cut the numbers back in the stadiums due to Covid.
“Bayern lost in the DFB Cup 5-0 to Gladbach and again last week to Bochum.
“Dortmund went out of the Champions League in a group they should have qualified from. And in the Bundesliga, they’ve also lacked consistency.
“They are very dependant on one player. If Haaland doesn’t play it’s a totally different story. It’s like they’re reading off a different script.
“He’s already missed 121 days due to injury in his time at Dortmund which is a long time.
“Of course, that makes it very difficult for you if just one player is so important.
“If he does play on Thursday, is he really 100 percent ready? It will be interesting.
“So I think there’s a chance for Rangers. Dortmund are a top team but they are not a Liverpool, a Man City or a Chelsea so Rangers definitely have a good chance.”
Nerlinger recalls being blown away by the history and tradition of Ibrox when he joined the club in 2001.
But the retired midfield ace admits the super strict lockdown rules which will leave the Westfalenstadion’s famous Yellow Wall verging on bare have given him the blues.
German Covid laws mean there will be just 10000 fans inside Dortmund’s notoriously raucous home ground - with just 3000 allowed to perch themselves on cacophonous terrace which normally houses their huge band of ultras.
And Nerlinger is sad to admit it will be a far cry from scenes which greeted him back in 1999 while still part of BVB’s ranks as they edged out Dick Advoccat’s Gers on penalties to reach the last 16 of that year’s Uefa Cup.
“That was such a close tie with a crazy finish,” he said. “Jens Lehmann helped us get the equaliser and then I scored in the shoot-out.
“With Rangers and Dortmund, you have two sets of supporters who are really emotional so the atmospheres at both games was unbelievable.
“That was a big part of my decision to join Rangers two years later. For a footballer, the fans you play in front play such an important role.
“I felt it was time to make an international step because I had some problems in Dortmund and had already played for Bayern Munich.
“I had some offers from Serie A but it was very convincing once I dived into the offer from Rangers.
“You soon realised how massive this club is, how passionate the supporters are and obviously there was Ibrox too.
“So it was very clear I wanted to do that move.
“I remember when I first walked through the front door at Ibrox and being taken aback by the history of the stadium.
“Nowadays, most of the stadiums you visit are new and all look the same.
“But Ibrox is a special place in terms of world football.
“I remember in my second season we had a pre-season against Leeds and it was almost full. I remember thinking, ‘What’s going on here?’, this is just a friendly.
“The atmosphere was unbelievable and I really enjoyed that.
“But the current restrictions make a massive difference in Germany.
“If you have a stadium like the Westfalenstadion and only have 10,000 fans in, it’s ridiculous.
“I’ve been at a few games and I’ll be honest, it’s been a little depressive.
“With these restrictions and just 10,000 fans in, it’s a totally different game compared to when it’s sold out.”
Haaland will no doubt shake off his minor ailment eventually and go on to establish himself as a Ballon d’Or candidate in the years to come.
But a string of niggling injuries denied Nerlinger his chance to become a major player at Ibrox.
Signed as a replacement for current Gers boss Van Bronckhorst in 2001, he appeared to have eased the concerns of the Ibrox faithful over the Dutchman’s departure to Arsenal when he drilled home on his first two starts for the club against Maribor and Aberdeen.
But a heel injury sustained in the second leg of their Champions League qualifier with the Slovenian outfit was the beginning of the end of his Ibrox career.
Nerlinger said: “That was devastating for me because I started quite well and I really had the feeling it could be a win-win situation for me and the club.
“But then quite early on I picked up a heel injury and it made it really difficult for me to show the performances I was hoping for.
“It was difficult. I could never play on a consistent basis. It was never like how it should have been.”
Nerlinger retired after returning to Germany with Kaiserlautern before taking up sporting director posts at both Dortmund and Bayern.
And he revealed he came close to an Ibrox return in 2014 after being approached with an offer to take on an upstairs role during Ally McCoist’s reign as boss.
The 48-year-old - now working as an agent - said: “After my time at Bayern Munich as sporting director, I had some conversations with German clubs but I was never totally convinced by those talks.
“Then I had a meeting with Graham Wallace, who was at that time running Rangers, in London about returning to Ibrox.
“I was very, very close to doing it because it was a massive honour to be taken into consideration.
“Of course, it would have been a big, big challenge at that time but in the end I decided to go in a different direction.”
