Rangers manager Dick Advocaat will wait until this morning before deciding whether to gamble on the fitness of Michael Mols in tonight's Group D clash with Monaco.

Advocaat once said he knew if his Dutch striker was ready for a big game if he saw him smiling beforehand. Yesterday Mols looked pretty glum as he filed through the lobby of a sumptuous Monte Carlo hotel with his team-mates.

Mols has only played two matches since ending a 10-month stint on the sidelines recovering from an operation on a ruptured cruciate ligament.

But such was the impact he made in the second of those two games - last week's breathtaking Champions League demolition of Sturm Graz - that Advocaat is sure to name him on the team-sheet if he can.

He said: "We are not sure if he can play tomorrow. His knee is protesting a little bit. "The medical staff say the more he plays the better it is for him. He likes to play - he wanted to play on Sunday (against Hearts)."

The former Holland manager often likes to spring a surprise in his team selection and especially in the Champions League - Derek McInnes was hauled out of the reserves a year ago to man-mark PSV Eindhoven's Luc Nilis out of the game in a famous victory.

Last week it was Allan Johnston, who performed well in an attacking role wide on the right. This time around speculation suggests that, as it is an away game, Dutch defender Fernando Ricksen could be pushed forward to beef up the midfield.

Monaco have defensive injury worries as well as the suspensions of Ousmane Dabo, Marcelo Gallardo and Franck Jurietti, although the latter player is in the squad as Monaco hope UEFA will confirm he has already served a ban.

Philippe Leonard and Francisco da Costa are both expected to miss out with knee injuries and Pablos Contreras is away on Olympic duty with Chile in Sydney.

A Rangers training session on the Stade Louis II pitch had a familiar feel to it as, after a day of blazing sunshine, it rained as soon as it began.