St Johnstone boss Steve Lomas believes his players won’t be fazed by the furore that will follow Rangers to McDiarmid Park.
As the Ibrox men stumble between hope and despair, Saints have to somehow blank out the mayhem surrounding Sunday’s opponents.
There is a massive incentive for the Perth team to beat Ally McCoist’s side guaranteed qualification for the Europa League should fifth-placed Hearts lose to champions Celtic on the same day.
Lomas is expecting Gers supporters to turn out in force for the final fixture of the season and for the atmosphere to be highly charged. However, he feels his men can cope with all that the match will throw at them.
”We are getting down to the wire now,” said Lomas. ”The Rangers fans will be here in numbers and it could be emotional. They will demand their team puts on a performance. Ally McCoist and his coaches will want to finish in style but this is a huge game for us.
”We saw what Rangers did to Dundee United so we have to up our game and put in a level of performance we showed against Celtic. I think we can do that.
”Europe is still there for us,” he added. ”It is a massive challenge but I would love to see the lads here rise to it and make one last push over 90 minutes after a long and gruelling season.”
Lomas, who grew up as a Rangers fan in Northern Ireland, is hoping that the Light Blues can somehow get themselves out of the financial mess they are in.
”If Rangers drop out of the SPL it’s going to hurt us all,” he said. ”That’s the bottom line. If anyone thinks otherwise they are deluding themselves and don’t know the mechanics of the league.
”What would be best for the club now would be people with a genuine affinity for Rangers to buy it. The uncertainty for everyone, for the genuine people at Rangers, so many fans and the people who are owed money, is awful and very sad.”
Meanwhile, Lomas is looking for his star striker Fran Sandaza to shine on what will be his final outing for the club.
Sandaza, who returns after a three-game suspension, has been linked with Hercules in his Spanish homeland and Lomas said: ”Maybe this could be a chance for Fran to sign off in style. He has been good for us but the club has been good for Fran.
”He knows he made a mistake when he got sent off against Dundee United and it has hurt us at a critical period.
”It looks like he is leaving but clubs will be looking at our players in a game of this stature and Fran and others can do us and themselves a turn and go out with a performance to remember. Even if he doesn’t get something abroad or in England I think someone in Scotland will pay more than we can afford.”
While the 18-goal Spaniard is set to return against Rangers, Lomas said he would discuss the Derek Riordan situation over with chairman Steve Brown, with the short-term signing linked to an alleged incident at an Edinburgh nightclub.
Defender Frazer Wright has been struggling with a hip injury but could return after a two-game absence but midfielder Murray Davidson is suspended.
Photo by Danny Lawson/PA Wire