Gavin Rae will this week prepare for the biggest game of his career with his fingers crossed for a Cardiff and Rangers cup double.

The 30-year-old swapped one blue shirt for another in June last year and admits the chance to play in an FA Cup final has come as an unexpected bonus.

First and foremost, the midfielder's is intent on getting his hands on his first piece of silverware on Saturday when City take on Portsmouth at Wembley. "It's the biggest game of my career. One of the biggest club competitions in the world. To have a chance to play in it is great and I'm looking forward to it. I've not won any honours in my career and I'd love a winners' medal.

"Rangers won the League and the League Cup when I was there but I wasn't involved that season and it was disappointing. I played in the Scottish Cup final for Dundee in 2003 as well but we got beaten by Rangers."

Rae, recently restored to the Scotland squad, hopes his former club can provide him with extra inspiration by winning their UEFA Cup final against Zenit St Petersburg in Manchester tonight.

In any other year it is a game the midfielder would have been free to watch, with most teams' seasons having drawn to a conclusion. But the Bluebirds' busy build-up to Saturday's showpiece means he will have to follow the game from his living room. Not that you will hear him complain.

"Rangers have done great to get to a European final. It doesn't happen often," he said. "A lot of people have been asking me if I'm going to go but we've got training on Thursday. I'll just be chilling out, watching in the house."

Finals are nothing new to Rangers, but the same cannot be said for Cardiff, who last reached an FA Cup final 81 years ago.

"Rangers are a huge club," he added. "They're expected to win major honours. The difference for us is that no-one expected us to get there."

Rae spent three-and-a-half years at Ibrox between 2004 and 2007 and was even handed the captaincy on a permanent basis - albeit for a matter of days - when then manager Paul Le Guen fell out with Barry Ferguson.

He was offered a new deal by the Frenchman's replacement, Walter Smith - who handed the armband straight back to Ferguson - but opted to leave in a bid to gain regular first-team football. However, he insists there will not be even a tinge of regret when he turns on his television tonight.

"There was a lot of stuff going on there," he added. "When Walter came back in he changed it. For me it was about getting games so that's why I moved on."