The news that Brian Laudrup could yet serve Rangers' cause in tonight's Champions' League qualifier against IFK Gothenburg will have helped to heighten what little optimism exists at Ibrox.

But even the manager of the Scottish champions, Walter Smith, was moved to caution supporters against building too heavy a burden of expectation for the celebrated Danish forward. Laudrup has the means by which to dismantle the most redoubtable defence, but there is a 3-0 deficit to be overcome tonight and he cannot be even in the neighbourhood of peak fitness after a fortnight's absence through chicken pox.

Indeed, it was only the result of a blood test yesterday morning - confirming that the player is totally free of the disease - which allowed Smith the luxury of including him for selection. It is not even certain that Laudrup will start the match.

"That is a dilemma for me," said Smith. "Over the next 24 hours, I have to decide how best to use him, if at all. The evidence on which you base that judgment is pretty flimsy, as we can only watch him at training and try to gauge his readiness.

"Brian himself is keen to be involved, but the decision will be down to me. Whether he plays or not, this task won't be completed unless our entire team plays well. Of course, it's a help when your most gifted players perform well, but one man can't do it alone."

The Swedish champions have their own problems, with midfielder Par Karlsson - scorer of the second goal in Gothenburg - still missing after being injured in the first game, and right back Stefan Landberg is struggling to recover from damage aggravated in training at Ibrox on Monday.

Still, they seem to have too great an advantage for the Scots to overcome.