Bragging rights are always on the agenda where football in Glasgow is concerned and tonight Rangers have an ideal opportunity to land another early-season body blow on the draining confidence of their city rivals Celtic. Alex McLeish's side take a 2-1 lead into the second leg against a troubled Anorthosis Famagusta at Ibrox, leaving them within touching distance of a place in the lucrative group stage of Europe's premier club competition.
After Celtic's highly embarrassing - and costly - exit from Europe at the hands of Artmedia Bratislava and Rangers' comfortable 3-1 win in the Old Firm match on Saturday, McLeish will be keen to build on his side's early momentum, and please the club's bankers to the tune of £10 million in the process. The Rangers captain, Barry Ferguson, seems set to keep his place in the Scottish champion's starting line-up, despite injuring an ankle in the weekend victory, and will be joined in midfield by Fernando Ricksen, who was suspended for the Celtic match.
"We know what Barry is like," McLeish said. "He doesn't like to miss these games. I would back him to play. He will not be risked, but if he is near enough 100 per cent fit, he will play."
Despite an impressive haul of seven domestic trophies, McLeish has struggled to make an impact on the European stage since taking over at Ibrox in December 2001. Indeed, it was the achievements of Martin O'Neill's Celtic that kept Scotland on the map during that period with some memorable Champions League performances and a run to the Uefa Cup final in 2003.
The former Manchester City midfielder Georgi Kinkladze will be a noteable absentee from the Cypriots' line-up after he refused to travel to Glasgow. The 32-year-old playmaker now seems set for a move to Russia, with the Anorthosis player-manager Temuri Ketsbaia insisting the mercurial Georgian will not be welcomed back at the club.
"I am not interested in having players in the squad who have no wish to play for Anorthosis. For me, the Kinkladze chapter is now closed," said the defiant former Newcastle and Wolves midfielder. He has also criticised the Cypriot Football Association after the club was forced to play a domestic Super Cup tie at the weekend - a match lost 5-4 on penalties to Omonia Nicosia.
Ketsbaia is boosted, though, by the inclusion of his captain Nikos Nikolaou even though four members of the player's family were killed in last week's Greek air disaster. Marco Haber also comes back into contention, after missing the first leg through suspension, but Ketsbaia is struggling with a back injury.
"We are all ready and we will give it a good go to achieve a dream of getting into the Champions League Group stages," he said.
PROBABLE LINE-UPS
RANGERS (4-4-2): Waterreus, Pierre-Fanfan, Andrews, Rodriguez, Ball, Ricksen, Ferguson, Murray, Buffel, Novo, Prso.
ANORTHOSIS FAMAGUSTA (4-4-2): Georgallides; Poursaitidis, Katsouvakis, Louka, Xenidis; Marangos, Frousos, Konstantinidis, Kabantais; Tsitaishvili, Nicolaou.
Referee: V Ivanov (Russia).
Guardian Service
