IF A sense of fun and nostalgia is sure to fill the air around Broadwood Stadium for the Rangers supporters in attendance tonight, it will be tempered by the awareness that serious business for their club is looming uncomfortably large.
The friendly match against Clyde, who will feature former Ibrox idols Brian Laudrup, Jorg Albertz and Arthur Numan as guest players for the evening, is the penultimate preparatory fixture for Walter Smith and his already injury-hit squad before they
begin their Champions League qualifying campaign in eight days' time.
That second qualifying round tie is almost certain to be against Lithuanian champions Kaunas, who take a convincing 4-1 lead into the home leg of their first qualifying round assignment against Andorran minnows Santa Coloma tonight.
The club backed by Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov signalled their ambition last Thursday by installing former Porto coach Jose Couceiro as their new manager and are already eyeing a trip to Ibrox next week with some confidence, optimistic they can catch Rangers cold and pull off an upset victory.
It is an unthinkable scenario for the Govan club, who must at the very least progress to the third and final qualifying round of the Champions League to ensure they do not miss out on both the prestige and prize money they earned from their run to the Uefa Cup final last season.
Smith knows his team must hit the ground running next week and handle the intense pressure of the early season qualifiers as efficiently as they did a year ago when they overcame Zeta and then Red Star Belgrade to make it into the group stage of the Champions League.
The Rangers manager declared himself satisfied with the three-match pre-season tour of Germany which concluded with a 1-0 defeat to leading Bundesliga side Schalke 04 on Saturday, but the build-up to the new campaign has been some way from trouble free.
The damaged ankle sustained by captain Barry Ferguson, which is expected to keep him out of action until October, is clearly the most ruinous injury to affect Smith's preparations as it deprives him of his most influential and creative player.
DaMarcus Beasley and the luckless Steven Smith, along with longer-term absentees Chris Burke and Steven Naismith, are also unavailable for the Champions League preliminaries and it is uncertain whether Smith will be able to strengthen his squad before Thursday night's Uefa transfer deadline for the second qualifying round.
He continues to be linked with a move for Cardiff City's Dutch central defender Glenn Loovens, although recruiting midfield reinforcements would appear to be a greater priority.
Rangers remain some distance from meeting the valuation Fulham have placed on Steven Davis who enjoyed a successful loan period at Ibrox in the second half of last season.
Reports in the Netherlands have credited Rangers with an interest in Mika Vayrynen, a 26-year-old Finnish international midfielder currently out of favour at PSV Eindhoven and who may come into the Ibrox club's price range.
Vayrynen is hardly a marquee name, but the days when Smith could indulge himself in the purchase of stellar talents such as Brian Laudrup are long gone.
The Rangers manager is not prone to wistfulness, but the sight of the former Danish international forward at Broadwood tonight along with Albertz and Numan will be a stark reminder of the very different market to which Smith is now restricted.
There is some positive news for Rangers supporters with Allan McGregor poised to make his return to action against Clyde.
The Scotland international goalkeeper, who recently signed a new five-year contract with the club, has been sidelined since mid-April but is ready to prove his fitness in time for the commencement of the Champions League campaign.
Kris Boyd, who missed out against Schalke on Saturday because of a hamstring complaint, is also expected to face the First Division side but the game may come too soon for Carlos Cuellar, who has been troubled by a calf strain.
The Spanish central defender, however, has resumed training and should be ready for Rangers' final warm-up match against Raith Rovers at Stark's Park on Saturday. That fixture is also a target for Kyle Lafferty whose back injury is healing quicker than originally anticipated.
It was initially thought the Northern Ireland international striker would miss the Champions League second qualifying round matches, but the £3.5 million close season signing from Burnley will now return to training this week.
Smith also has Brahim Hemdani close to full fitness after the midfielder was injured on summer international duty with Algeria, and his experience and European nous would be welcome in the likely showdown with Kaunas.
The full article contains 799 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
