Zenit isn’t fazed by the barrier awaiting at the City of Manchester of Stadium.

“The best way to beat a packed defense is with some unexpected moves and pieces of individual skill,” captain Anatoliy Tymoschuk said. “We just have to wait and see how we do against them.

“Everything we need is in our hands, our legs and our heads.”

One thing they will be missing is striker Pavel Pogrebnyak, the competition’s top scorer, who is suspended.

“It will not be an easy game, taking into account that Pogrebnyak will not play,” midfielder Roman Shirokov said. “I hope that (Fatih) Tekke and (Alejandro) Dominguez will be able to substitute for him.”

Pogrebnyak contributed half the Russians’ 14 goals in the eight knockout phase matches. But his teammates still notched up more goals than Rangers, which netted just five times.

“They don’t score many, but they also concede very few,” Tymoschuk said. “No one qualifies for a final undeservedly.”

Rangers manager Walter Smith has been on the defensive over his team’s guarded approach, while relishing being labeled underdogs.

“It doesn’t offend in any way, shape or form,” Smith said. “That is the way it has been throughout this European campaign, so we just have to accept that and get on with it. So far, we’ve had a lot of negative comments about us.” Chairman David Murray has been boasting how the Rangers wage bill is five million pounds (US$9.8 million; euro6.5 million) less than that of Derby County, the English club relegated from the Premier League last weekend as the worst in the history of top flight.

Smith is surprised at how quickly the team has gelled in his first full season back at Ibrox, where he was replaced in 1998 by current Zenit coach Dick Advocaat.

“We’ve had a lot of situations where people say that Rangers play anti-football, rubbish football or whatever,” the 60-year-old Smith said. “But for a first-year team, we’ve settled in well and, for those teams that have lost to us, if they are that good, why have they not beaten us?”

Rangers is looking to emulate its only European triumph, by denying Russian opposition just as it did in 1972 in the now-defunct Cup Winners’ Cup.

“It would be nice to make history,” said Rangers striker Nacho Novo, who scored the winning penalty in the semifinal shootout against Fiorentina. “This is such a big club and we haven’t won a European trophy for all these years. All the boys will try to make it.”

Rangers goalkeeper Neil Alexander is preparing for the final to be decided on penalty kicks.

“It has already entered my head and obviously saving a penalty to win the cup would be the best thing in my career,” said the 30-year-old Alexander, who was playing for Cardiff in English soccer’s second-tier a year ago. “It would be an unbelievable experience for me — and would make me very popular with the Rangers fans ... When it comes to penalties, it’s a bit of a lottery and it can go either way.”

A relaxed Zenit arrived in Manchester on Monday, having been excused from three league matches in the buildup to the final.

But Rangers has been galvanized by the widespread dismay at the Scottish Premier League’s refusal to give it a clear weekend before traveling to northern England for its 64th match of a season which began last July.

Still, after capturing the League Cup in March, the Scots are confident of denying Celtic back-to-back SPL titles and then winning a fourth trophy in the May 24 Scottish Cup final.

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