He will sit quietly with his Rangers scarf tightly wrapped around his neck. His sumptuous flat near Milan will reverberate to the commentary of Fiorentina v Rangers. Sergio Porrini was an Italian internationalist.

He is a fan of Rangers.

And of Walter Smith, the manager who signed him for Rangers. Porrini, 39, who now plays for C2 side Pizzighettone, was yesterday full of praise for his one-time mentor: "Walter Smith is a great coach and a great manager. When he left Rangers, it was one of the biggest disappointments of my time in Glasgow."

He added: "Maybe it worked out for the best, though, in Walter's case.

For what he has done and achieved in the game, he deserves to get to the final and it would be great to see him and Rangers going all the way in the UEFA Cup."

Porrini has great memories of Scotland where he played from 1997 to 2001. "My daughter was born there and I am still very much a Rangers fan," said the defender.

"I lived in Scotland for more than four years and I have to say a bit of my heart is still there.That is why I will always look out for Rangers' results and why I will have my scarf on when I watch the game on Thursday."

He believes Rangers can make it to the final. "I have been really impressed by the team because they have produced some great performances and churned out some great results in both the Champions League and UEFA Cup this season," he said.

"The good thing about this squad is that they are strong collectively, where previous sides, including my own, were filled with big-name stars like Michael Mols, Claudio Reyna and Lorenzo Amoruso. This team is a lot more low-key although they have a lot of good Scottish players who are all playing for their national team.

"Our side had a lot more individual flair and ability but I like the current team because they have a winning mentality and have shown they can go and win away from Ibrox, especially in Europe, which is always the sign of a good team.

"The players fight for everything and are really hard-working and they deserve the success they are having."

He singled out Barry Ferguson for praise.

"Ferguson is to Rangers what Francesco Totti is to Roma. They both came up through the youth ranks, are supporters of the club and their heart may as well be the badge of the clubs.

"It will be a big boost to have him back for the second leg and he can improve the team. He is the main playmaker and I thought they missed him in the first leg. Barry could be the key to Rangers getting the result they need against Fiorentina."

If that happens, there will be a loud roar in a certain Milanese flat.