The Champions League theme tune will ring out around Ibrox for the first time in over a decade tonight, a teaser of the nights to come should Rangers get through the next two games unscathed.
PSV Eindhoven are certainly a team, like ourselves, who should be in the group stages more often, preferably at the expense of the fourth placed teams from the leagues in England and the rest, an injustice that is never likely to change or ever get any less annoying unfortunately.
Ruud van Nistelrooy is in his first season as a senior manager having spent time working in PSV’s academy and it’s pretty clear already how he wants his team to approach the game – on the front foot – just five games into the season and they have scored more than three goals on four occasions. Ajax and Monaco both having been swept aside.
His former Netherlands team-mate in the opposite dug-out might be just a year older but Giovanni van Bronckhorst has a lot more experience at this level with 27 games in European football including a season with Feyenoord in the group stages of the Champions League. Guiding Rangers to within a penalty or two of the Europa League title is also a decent indication that he knows what he is doing.
Rangers have become harder to prepare for in Europe than ever before though, whether it is changes in personnel, changes in shape or mid-game adjustments, Gio has shown a flexibility that no other manager in my lifetime has shown and predicting what his approach will be is almost impossible.
What could be decisive is how Van Nistelrooy approaches the tie. If he is more conservative it could negate their strengths, but if he goes all out attack, we have already shown against a similar level of opposition that we are quite happy to go toe-to-toe.
From friends to foes, this is one tie that could well be decided by who makes the right decisions before a ball is even kicked.