BRAHIM HEMDANI today admitted he knows next to nothing about the side that could stand between Rangers and the Champions League.

But the Ibrox midfielder insists Walter Smith's men will be up to speed on what danger awaits them in the form of FK Zeta as they prepare for the first of two qualifying rounds they must negotiate to reach the mega-bucks group stages.

Victory over Kaunas this week means it is the unknown outfit from Montenegro that will be heading to Ibrox next Tuesday looking to cause an upset in the first-leg showdown.

After missing out on the Champions League last term - and the money that goes with it - Rangers know it would amount to a financial disaster if they were to fail to line up against Europe's big guns for a second successive season.

For Hemdani, it would also be a footballing nightmare if they aren't involved in the continent's premier competition and testing themselves against the top players in the world.

And he promised that Rangers will show Zeta every respect and prepare for the game with due diligence.

"I don't really know anything about Zeta, and I'm sure the rest of the players are in the same boat," said Hemdani.

"I have never played in Montenegro before so it will be a new experience.

"To be honest, you quite often play against teams you don't know a great deal about and I suppose they'll have to learn about us and our players as well.

"But we had them watched the other night against Kaunas and I'm sure we'll watch plenty of videos of them before the first leg."

Rangers stepped their pre-season preparations up to another level during the week when they faced Dutch giants Ajax at Ibrox.

And this Saturday's glamour friendly against Jose Mourinho's Chelsea superstars will present the Light Blues with an even tougher challenge.

But Hemdani is more than happy to face the top teams in a bid to reach peak fitness.

He said: "Ajax are a good side. All of their players are comfortable on the ball and they are very good at keeping possession. I think that is the case with all the top Dutch teams.

"But it was a good workout for us. I thought we worked very hard - especially in the first half - to shut down the space and make it difficult for them to find space in advanced areas.

"Although they enjoyed a lot of the ball, we prevented them from troubling us or having any real efforts on goal. After taking the lead through Carlos Cuellar, I thought we got on the ball a bit more and had chances to extend our lead."

He added: "And that was the same in the second half. In the end, a 1-1 draw with Ajax, who just lost out on winning the Dutch championship on goal difference, wasn't too bad."

On the visit of Chelsea, he said: "They have a fantastic group of players and one of the strongest squads in football.

"Obviously they have spent a great deal of money in the last few years and they'll be hoping to regain the Premiership title after losing it to Manchester United. So we are looking forward to that one as well."

As he looks back on Rangers' pre-season training, the midfielder is happy with the progress the team has made.

He said: "We have been back for a few weeks now and it has gone quite well. We have a new sports science team at the club and we have worked very hard on our fitness levels. The methods have been good and different to what we are used to.

"When we first reported back after the summer break, we spent the first couple of weeks at Murray Park and that was the most difficult, but also the most important.

"That is where the biggest part of the fitness work took place, then we had some games over in Germany and that's now two friendly games since we've come back to Glasgow.

"Chelsea will be our last and then it is straight into the Champions League qualifier with Zeta and then the beginning of the SPL.

"So we are looking forward to getting back into the real action after all the hard work."