Smith takes cautious route

Group E/Olympique Lyon v Rangers:French footballers are entitled to have deep misgivings about facing any team from Scotland after the last two meetings at international level, but the Rangers manager, Walter Smith, is under no illusions about the magnitude of his team's task against Lyon this evening

Scotland's successive European Championship qualifying victories over France, the last of which came only three weeks ago, has led many to suggest Rangers hold a psychological advantage over their hosts for this intriguing Group E encounter. The French champions, moreover, were soundly beaten 3-0 by Barcelona in their opening group match a fortnight ago while Smith's men defeated Stuttgart on a rousing occasion at Ibrox.

However, the Rangers manager remains in cautious mood after Lyon returned their best performance of the season in beating Lens 3-0 on Saturday. "Lyon are back at the top of the French league, so they can't be as bad as some people claim," Smith stressed. "They are a very talented side, they have won six titles in a row in one of the top five leagues in Europe. In terms of the Champions League, they have players of vast experience compared to our lads. They have been regulars in the latter stages for the last three or four years. In Karim Benzema, they have one of Europe's best young strikers.

"In my team, I think more than half a dozen were playing their first group game against Stuttgart."

Jean-Claude Darcheville was the surprise passenger on Rangers' flight yesterday, having injured a hamstring in the weekend draw at Motherwell. Smith had initially ruled the striker out for a fortnight, but now rates him as "50-50" for tonight's game.

"Jean-Claude has amazed us all," said Smith. "I didn't think he had any chance, but it now looks as though there is a possibility he could take part." A more likely scenario is that Daniel Cousin, another Frenchman, will start the game.

The Lyon manager, Alain Perrin, meanwhile, warned that, despite Rangers being widely regarded as the outsiders of the group, the Scots will not be taken lightly. Perrin said: "This is the Champions League, which is a competition with a special atmosphere where every team gives its best."

Lyon will be without their injured goalkeeper Gregory Coupet, along with Cris, Fred and Patrick Muller.