It was all there in the body language. As the evening sun dipped behind the stand at the City of Manchester stadium, the Rangers players drifted around the immaculate green sward that will stage tonight's showpiece. They spoke little. A focused, alert edginess informed the final session ahead of their date with history this evening. Rangers are ready.

The team whose style has been sneeringly dismissed by a variety of vanquished opponents during this remarkable UEFA Cup campaign may have one, final flourish left in them. Rangers' status as underdogs will not impinge on their self-belief. Nothing will.

Walter Smith's side know they can win. That belief has transmitted to their fans who have motored down the M6 with an equal share of hope and expectation.

"We are all looking forward to the game and we know we could be on the verge of a very special moment," said Brahim Hemdani, the French-Algerian midfielder, who will be asked to patrol his central station with trademark efficiency.

Nacho Novo arguably embodies the collective belief of the Rangers squad more than anyone. The Spaniard will have a part to play tonight, even if it is from the bench. "This will be the biggest game of my career. I have no doubt about that but it is also the biggest game that any of us have played and we are looking forward to it."

It was Novo who struck the decisive penalty in the semi-final shoot-out against Fiorentina and scored twice in the 3-1 defeat of Dundee United at the weekend. For a player of limited technical ability, Novo, much like Smith's Rangers team, has surpassed all expectations. Tonight will be a defining moment in his career and Novo will take the time to remember all those who have played a part in his rise since he arrived in Scotland in the summer of 2001 to sign for Raith Rovers.

"I am thinking of a lot of people who have helped me in my career - Danny Smith, the chairman at Raith Rovers, and Peter Hetherston, who was my first manager in Scotland. They helped me settle in when I didn't know anyone or speak the language. I will never forget them. Jim Duffy was a huge influence when I went to Dundee. I will never forget how he helped me when my mother died, but he taught me so much as well about how to play the game.

I used to get upset when I wasn't picked every game but I became more mature working with Jim and I learned the team is more important than one man.

"The biggest regret I have is that my mother will not be here. She would have loved to have been here to see her son play in a match like this. She supported me when I was with small clubs and she died in my last year at Dundee, so she didn't see me play for Rangers. But I think she will be watching and supporting me and that thought gives me a lot of energy."

Hemdani has been here before, with former club Marseille in 2004, but hopes to make amends for that previous occasion. Four years ago, with a players such as Fabien Barthez, Mathieu Flamini and Didier Drogba, the French side lost 2-0 to Valencia in the UEFA Cup final and the 30-year-old admitted it was a scarring experience.

"I have played in a UEFA Cup final and I remember there was real excitement in the build-up but we ended up losing the game and it was just horrendous. I found it very difficult to recover from that defeat. It was so disappointing to get so close to winning a European trophy and then walking away with nothing but a loser's medal.

"It took me around four months to get over losing that game. It was probably as low as I have felt in my career. I just couldn't get it out of my head all summer and it was well into the next season before the pain started to ease. It still hurts when I think back to that game and it is not easy to forget something like that. I certainly wouldn't want to go through the same pain all over again and that is why I will be doing everything in my power to walk off the pitch as a winner. If I could lift the UEFA Cup it would be the highlight of my career and would go a long way to wiping out the pain of my previous final appearance."

Novo hinted at a more offensive approach by Rangers in tonight's game, but insisted that he is prepared to fulfil any brief given to him by Smith.

"The final is a one-off game so maybe the gaffer will ask us to play a little differently. Whatever he does, we will follow his instructions because we believe in him. I don't know if I will start. That will be up to the gaffer but I think I have done well in the last few games and I hope to have the chance to play in the final. But it is not about Nacho Novo - it's about Rangers winning this match and I want to help us do that.

"Whatever happens, we have done well but we want to win this. We have overcome every challenge so far, like losing important players like Allan McGregor. I want to enjoy the game.

It will be a great atmosphere, maybe the best I've ever played in. There will be so many of our fans in the stadium that I think it will be a home game for us and that can be a big help.

"It is unbelievable that 100,000 will be in Manchester and we can't let them down. I think they know everyone will give everything for them."