The conversation will revolve around Vaclav Cerny and will involve the man himself. Ultimately, the decision will be made by Philippe Clement as the manager listens to his staff, his heart and his head.

If Cerny was to have the final say then he would select himself to start against Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday night. Given the impact that he made against the Ukrainians last week and his performance against Motherwell on Saturday, there are unlikely to be many Rangers supporters who would not make the same selection at Hampden.

Clement will look at the bigger picture. As he spoke after the 2-1 win over the Steelmen, he hailed the quality of the winger and the way he has made his mark at Ibrox. A terrific assist in Lublin was followed by a stunning strike in Glasgow.

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When asked if Cerny was ready to start the second leg, Clement smiled and started his answer with ‘it’s a good question’ before going on to outline the debate that he will have over the next 48 hours. He had earlier referenced the need for Cerny to improve physically as he gets up to speed following his arrival from Wolfsburg, highlighting the fact that he was withdrawn after 55 minutes as evidence of where the winger is at present.

Cerny played for an hour combined in the draws with Hearts and Dynamo in his first two outings for Rangers. His third was his most impressive and was capped with a moment of magic that proved to be the winner in a tight Premiership encounter that the hosts edged.

Rangers did not look as purposeful or dangerous once Cerny was replaced by Ross McCausland. Given the magnitude of the return fixture with Kyiv, it would be a bigger call to leave the 26-year-old out than it would be to start him when not fully fit and firing.

“I feel ready to start every single game, if you ask me,” Cerny said. “I just want to use those two days we have now to recover and get in shape again, and I'm going to do my best to be ready. It’s on the manager, obviously, but I'll do my best to be ready.

“Getting into the Champions League is something I really want to achieve with this club, with those guys in the dressing room. There is just one wish, and that's to get there, and we will do all we can to manage to go through. It's the second leg, and they know how we want to play, we know how they play, so let's prepare for it.”

Cerny’s preparations for the campaign as a whole have not been ideal. He was given extra time off to gear up for the new season after returning from Euro 2024 and he will naturally be granted some leeway as he settles into his surroundings on and off the park in Glasgow.

Cerny started for the Czech Republic in their draw with Georgia on Matchday Two. It was the only point his nation collected as they finished bottom of their section but he didn’t have long to linger on the disappointment. His switch to Rangers quickly dominated the agenda.

Clement has made no secret of his desire to raise the physical standard of the squad this season and those that have been through the entire summer schedule will feel the benefit of new personnel and new processes already. Cerny is still playing catch-up but he is eager to gain ground as quickly as possible.

“Look, the summer for me was also different than to the others,” Cerny said. “Basically, for the past years I've never had longer free time than two weeks, for example. But now, after the Euros, I had some days off and obviously moved to Rangers. So the fitness level is not ideal, but everybody knows that now, and we are doing everything every day with a lot of people around me to get me where I want to be as fast as possible.

“Listen, I'm also not the most patient person, so I want to get there as soon as possible. But we have to use the brain and look at it every day and the wish is to get there as soon as possible again. But we'll just see how I'm feeling. I just want to be useful and helpful for the team, because that's the number one wish for me, and I'm going to get there.”

It has been a summer where the mood amongst the support has not exactly been wholly positive. More glasses have been half empty than half full as the ongoing situation at Ibrox and move to Hampden has overshadowed Clement’s first real chance to remodel this squad.

The Belgian handed Robin Propper his debut on Saturday as Rangers played at Hampden for the first time. The defender will surely start on Tuesday as the national stadium hosts European action and Clement’s side look to progress to the play-off round. Completing the job against Kyiv would be a timely and much-needed boost for those on the pitch and those in the stands after an afternoon against Motherwell that had as many positives as negatives.

“Obviously, when you know now that you've got the three points, which we needed and wanted, that helps,” Cerny said as he reflected on his own contribution and a lovely finish that saw him collect the ball in the right channel and then beat Aston Oxborough. “But also I think the performance, especially the first-half, was a good one. And personally, I enjoyed it a lot, playing here. 

“I expected something like this, but I enjoyed every minute of it. With my goal, basically the action was just what we trained for and what we talked about.

“It’s tough to get into the team with five in the back, so you need to be creative. In every action, you have to look where the spaces are and use them. 

“We did it perfectly with the quick build-up, and we found the spaces, and a good ball from Tav. For me, it was just to take a great touch before I just hit it.”

That contribution from Cerny was the pick of his moments. The other highlight was a defence-splitting pass in the first half that deserved to be an assist. Unfortunately for the forward, Scott Wright and then Cyriel Dessers, who opened the scoring minutes later, couldn’t provide the finish.

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Cerny returned home with the three points and the Man of the Match award on Saturday evening. He also had the appreciation of the crowd. Clement made an urge to the supporters to play their part against Kyiv and that sentiment was echoed by an attacker that could easily become a firm favourite this term.

“The fans will be massively important for all of us,” Cerny said. “For me especially, because I like the way the crowd is mixed with us on the field and on the pitch. In the end, it's up to us, how we perform and I think we all want them to be happy, and that's the main goal.”