For once, Kris Boyd's peripheral status at Rangers was confirmed by his inclusion rather than his exclusion. Tonight, in front of a conservative Tartan Army crowd, Boyd will be the club's sole representative in a Scotland side shorn of a quartet of players who, according to the cynical majority, are suffering from convenient injuries that are the equivalent of a 24-hour bug.

As Allan McGregor, Barry Ferguson and Lee McCulloch were given permission to leave Cameron House Hotel in Loch Lomond, joining Christian Dailly on the casualty list for an ill-timed friendly against Croatia, Boyd was left to ponder his prospects of appearing in Saturday's seminal Old Firm derby at Ibrox, having been omitted from the entire squad for the 3-0 victory back in October.

Dado Prso, the Croat afforded cult status after three years in Glasgow, will have mixed emotions as he takes his place in BT Scotland Stand at Hampden Park this evening. He was emphatic in his assertion that Boyd must not give up what appears an increasingly forlorn battle for acceptance under Walter Smith.

Prso's career was curtailed by a chronic knee condition. Boyd's technical limitations have hindered his prospects within a robust tactical template this season. His former team-mate believes Boyd's natural goalscoring instincts should be cultivated and not compromised in order to improve his on-field interaction.

"When you have a boy like that you have to play to his strengths," said Prso yesterday, as he helped Setanta Sports promote their live coverage of Saturday's epic derby. "Sometimes if you try to change a player like that too much, he can lose what makes him special in the first place. He puts everything into scoring goals. If you put 20 people in the box, he will be the one who gets the ball and scores. That is what he does and he is like David Trezeguet in that respect.

"Maybe he needs to improve in some aspects but he needs to remember his strengths."

Prso's experience was vital during Boyd's bountiful settling-in period after his £400,000 transfer from Kilmarnock in January 2005. Three years on, Rangers are already believed to be scouting for potential replacements. Prso's countryman, Ivan Klasnic, of Werder Bremen is believed to be prominent on the list of potential recruits.

Boyd's defiance is now his greatest asset. Having been listed among the substitutes for the CIS Insurance Cup final against Dundee United, he clambered off the bench to rescue Rangers twice before scoring the decisive fifth penalty kick in a sweat-inducing shoot-out.

As Prso adapts to a new, more tranquil life in Monaco, he reminded Boyd of his departing message when he left Ibrox in an emotional farewell alongside Stefan Klos. "When I was here I told him never leave this club' and I think he should stay because he is the best goalscorer they have," said Prso.

"He showed what he is capable of in the cup final. He scored the two goals that kept Rangers in the tie and then scored the winning penalty. That is what Kris Boyd does best. He is still young and has only been here a few years so he should be in no hurry."

None the less, Prso acknowledges that Boyd's one-dimensional style is at conflict with the collective labour that has been the bedrock of success second time around for Smith. The industrious approach has helped vanquish Gordon Strachan's Celtic on the three occasions since Smith replaced Paul Le Guen and having experienced a similar change in Glasgow's football order under Alex McLeish, Prso was lavish in his praise of Smith's strategy.

"The team are much stronger now and while they may not score as many goals or attack as regularly, they do not concede many goals, either," he said, forgivably oblivious to Rangers' plunder of 100 goals in 50 games so far this season. "It is hard to score against Rangers. I watched them against Hibs and they were like a machine; slow, methodical, not spectacular but very effective.

"Nobody will remember the performance but they will remember the result and at this stage of the season that is all that matters. Nothing will be decided.

"Rangers are not going to play like Barcelona but they can succeed by first making it difficult for other teams, wear them down and then try to play some attractive football. When I first came here, we beat them Celtic twice in November and that helped us buck the trend of Celtic victories. Walter Smith has done the same."

Jean-Claude Darcheville will be an essential figure in Saturday's unfolding drama. The Frenchman of fragile hamstrings is almost certain to figure as Rangers' lone striker, until his inevitable fatigue after an hour. Prso has been surprised by the transformation of his former Ligue 1 counterpart from link-man at Bordeaux to the focal point, nay entirety, of Rangers' front line at the age of 32.

"Jean-Claude is a strong player who can score goals but he is not a No.9 like Kris Boyd," said Prso. "He is mobile and can provoke defenders but he is a second striker. He has had to learn to play differently as a lone striker at Rangers. I spoke to him after the game and he was surprised by how physical it is here. You have to work for everything because you get no peace from defenders."

It is the unforgiving nature of Scottish football that, Prso surmises, is at the root of Daniel Cousin's hankering to leave after less than a year in Glasgow. The Gabon striker is suffering from a broken jaw for his efforts and Prso reaffirmed the character required to succeed at the Old Firm.

"It is only Tuesday and already you are building up a game on Saturday," said Prso, a willing accomplice to the promotional drive. "It'll be like World War III, that's what I will be reading.

I think Daniel has been surprised by that. Sometimes players underestimate how difficult it is here and maybe it has been too difficult for him."

Prso predicted a 2-0 win for Rangers - "Boyd and Novo with the goals" - but past experience has warned him off considering a second derby win decisive. Celtic's 2-1 win at Ibrox on April 24, 2005 seemed destined to secure the championship for Martin O'Neill's men but the title swung dramatically in the final weeks culminating in the infamous Helicopter Sunday'.

"I remember Celtic came to Ibrox and won and everybody assumed that the league was over, but then Hibs won at Celtic, we beat Aberdeen and suddenly we had a chance to win it on the last day of the season," he recalled.

"I would be lying if I said I thought we were going to win the title but if we didn't win against Hibs and something happened at Celtic, that disappointment would have lived with us for the rest of our lives."