Rangers ready for 'favourites' Barça

"A formidable task" is Walter Smith's assessment of the challenge confronting Rangers FC as they welcome FC Barcelona for the first of back-to-back Group E fixtures on Tuesday.

Perfect starts
Like Barcelona, the Glasgow club have got off to the perfect start with UEFA Champions League wins against VfB Stuttgart and Olympique Lyonnais. Yet the manager knows his team face a step up in quality against the 2006 European champions, comparing them with the Juventus vintage of 1995/96 that beat Rangers 4-1 and 4-0 en route to lifting the trophy against AFC Ajax in Rome.

Heavy losses
"I think it will be equal to the games we played against Juventus during my first spell at the club," said Smith. "They were a formidable side. Juventus were a different type of team from Barcelona in that they were more powerful, but they were every bit as effective. Barcelona are one of the favourites, if not the favourites, to win the Champions League, but there's no reason why we can't be competitive against them."

Duo out
Rangers go into the match on the back of Saturday's morale-boosting 3-0 defeat of arch-rivals Celtic FC, but Smith refuses to dwell on that result or Barcelona's first reverse of the season – 3-1 at Villarreal CF – later that day. "You can't read too much into those results," counselled Smith, who confirmed he will be without holding midfielder Brahim Hemdani (groin) and striker Jean-Claude Darcheville (hamstring). "We beat Lyon in our last game then lost against Hibernian [FC], so you can't equate the weekend's results with how this game will go."

Henry praise
Asked how to cope with the likes of Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi, the 59-year-old joked that he is "trying not to think about them" while also highlighting the danger posed by former Arsenal FC striker Thierry Henry. "For me, he is one of the best forwards in the world," said Smith. "People say he's not playing as well as he was at Arsenal, but you have to remember regardless of what level of player you are, you always need time to settle down. He's a fantastic player and any team would be fortunate to have him."

Deco blow
Barcelona have a lengthening casualty list with playmaker Deco the latest to join Samuel Eto'o, Yaya Touré, Gianluca Zambrotta, Edmílson and Rafael Márquez on the sidelines, meaning coach Frank Rijkaard is likely to deploy Eidur Gudjohnsen in a midfield role at Ibrox. "Gudjohnsen is an important player – he can make passes and score goals," said the Dutchman, whose side dropped two places to fourth in the Primera División with that weekend loss.

'Fight to win'
Rijkaard identifies Ferguson as the man to watch in the Rangers team and believes this match could go a long way towards deciding who advances as group winners. He said: "Ferguson has been playing a long time for Rangers and represents their spirit and mentality. This is the most important game so far for both clubs. It will be tough and we will have to fight to win."