Smith keeps faith with Rangers' away goal strategy as Uefa Cup final glory beckons

AFTER nine months of hard labour which has taken his team to eight different countries, Walter Smith knows the rebirth of Rangers' credibility faces perhaps its most complicated evening yet in Tuscany tonight.

In their 18th match of a remarkable European campaign, which began in the second qualifying round of the Champions League last July and now places them within sight of their first continental club final for 36 years, Smith believes the odds remain against Rangers in a Uefa Cup run which has seen them have to play every second leg away from home.

Last Thursday's 0-0 draw with Fiorentina at Ibrox in the first leg of the semi-final was broadly welcomed by the club's supporters, placing it in the context of previous rounds against Panathinaikos and Sporting Lisbon when Rangers were able to turn the same scoreline into a winning position on the road.

With the grand prize of a place in the final against Zenit St Petersburg or Bayern Munich in Manchester on 14 May now tantalisingly close, Smith has no doubt the efforts of his players in the longest European season ever undertaken by a Scottish club make them worthy of going all the way in the tournament.

While the possibility exists of another goalless 90 minutes and extra-time taking the semi-final to a penalty shoot-out in Florence tonight, the Rangers manager is fairly certain at least one away goal will be required to take the final step.

Smith delighted in watching close friend Sir Alex Ferguson guide Manchester United into the Champions League final on Tuesday, but was intrigued by the way the implication of the away goals rule impacted on the attitude and performance of the English Premier League title holders against Barcelona at Old Trafford as they protected their precious 1-0 advantage.

"I think what happened in Manchester shows the effect the away goal has," observed Smith, "because it's not often you see Manchester United defend in the last 20 minutes in the manner they had to do last night. It's the away goal that's the factor in that as much as anything.

"Like the rest of our games in Europe this season, this one will be difficult because a team as well set as Fiorentina have been over the last couple of seasons, and who are now in the top four of Serie A and who are playing at home, you would imagine that they'd be favourites.

"But we've had good results and have managed to get goals away from home in both the European tournaments we've played in this season. We would hope that it will continue.

"If it comes down to penalty kicks, we'll go into that situation quite happily. But I think we'll need to score if we're going to go through, so it won't be that different from other games we've played this season.

"Werder Bremen, for instance, couldn't have put us under any more pressure than they did and restricted us to very few opportunities. If Fiorentina can match that, then obviously we're in for a very difficult night, but I go into it thinking we'll have to get a goal if we're going to progress."

Rangers can take encouragement from the fact Fiorentina, while unbeaten in their six previous European games at their Artemio Franchi Stadium this season, have managed just one clean sheet.

Smith will hope to exploit the gaps which Fiorentina's approach at home evidently opens up, with the strength and pace of Jean-Claude Darcheville likely to see him named as the lone striker in a tried and trusted 4-2-3-1 formation.

The presence of David Weir on yesterday morning's flight from Glasgow was a considerable boost to Smith who had fully expected the 37-year-old defender to miss out as a result of the groin injury he sustained in Sunday's Old Firm defeat at Parkhead.

"He is a lot better than we expected yesterday, so it will just depend on his progress in training here," said Smith. "There is a chance he will make it."

Smith will ask his players for a repeat of the composure in possession they displayed when winning 2-0 in Lisbon in the quarter-finals and sees the return from suspension of Barry Ferguson and Kevin Thomson as the key to achieving that.

"To get to a European final is not just big, it's huge, especially for a team from one of the smaller countries like ours," added Smith. "It doesn't happen many times in your career and I hope this one won't pass us by."

UEFA CUP MATCH STATS

• Rangers became the first Scottish side to win on Italian soil last season when they beat Livorno 3-2 at the Stadio Armando Picchi in the 2006/07 Uefa Cup group stage.

• Fiorentina have a 100 per cent record of victories against Scottish sides in Florence.

• Walter Smith's club are the lowest-scoring team left in the Uefa Cup. They have netted 12 times in 13 games. They have conceded 11. Fiorentina have scored 20 and conceded 10 goals in their 13 Uefa Cup matches.

&149 Romanian striker Adrian Mutu is Fiorentina's most prolific striker in the Uefa Cup this season with six goals. The top scorers in the competition are: 10 – Luca Toni (Bayern); 9 – Pavel Pogrebnyak (Zenit), Henrik Larsson (Helsingborg); 8 – Razak Omotoyossi (Helsingborg); 7 – Stefan Kiessling (Leverkusen), Robbie Winters (Brann); 6 – Aguero (Atletico Madrid), Adrian Mutu (Fiorentina).

• Jean-Claude Darcheville, Charlie Adam and Daniel Cousin are the only players to have found the target more than once for Rangers in Europe this term, striking twice each.

• Veteran Italian striker Christian Vieri is Fiorentina's most prolific striker in all European competitions with 27 goals in 75 matches.

• Ibrox strike pair Nacho Novo and Daniel Cousin are Rangers' most dangerous European hitmen with 14 goals in 37 matches.

&149 Fiorentina's Uefa Cup record reads: Played 53; won 20; drawn 19; lost 14; goals for: 57; goals against: 52.

• The Italian side's record home victory in the Uefa Cup is a 6-1 win against IF Elfsborg on 8 November, 2007 in the group stages.

• Fiorentina's heaviest home defeat is 3-0 – by Grasshopper-Club and FC Schalke 04.

&149 Rangers' Uefa Cup record reads: Played 68; won 31; drawn 18; lost 19; goals for 94; goals against 68.

• The record away victory for Rangers is an 8-0 win against Valletta on 14 September, 1983 in the first round.

• A 5-0 defeat in 1982 by FC Cologne remains Rangers' record away European defeat.