In a city of startling contrasts, the Rangers manager, Walter Smith, is intent on producing one of his own. If his team are to have any hope of progressing from the Champions League group stages, they will have to deliver a display in Bucharest on Wednesdaynight that bears no resemblance to the timid performance that cost them dearly in Glasgow a fortnight ago. A repeat of their 4-1 humiliation at the hands of Unirea Urziceni just doesn’t bear thinking about.

The very name of Romania’s small-town upstarts is enough to bring Smith out in a cold sweat, so synonymous has it become with Rangers’ travails of late. Which is why he arrived in the country’s capital yesterday demanding more of the work that has been his team’s defining characteristic in recent years, and suggesting that he might have a surprise in store for the Romanian champions. “I think we will change the system, and we will change the result as well,” he said.

Believe it if you like. Smith has some decisions to make, such as who will deputise for the injured Madjid Bougherra, where to play the fit-again Lee McCulloch, and whether to give 17-year-old Danny Wilson a European debut at centre-half, but there is no more chance of the Rangers manager blithely throwing caution to the wind than there is of a capacity crowd turning up to watch. “I don’t want to lose my image,” he said.

What we do know is that he wants more of the industry and application that he says has been missing for too much of the season. The one thing that could be said about the Rangers team that won two domestic trophies last season, and before that reached the Uefa Cup final, was that they understood the value of hard work. Take that away, and there is precious little left, as was demonstrated in Glasgow last month, when defeat left them bottom of group G.

And that was not the only time since last summer that Smith’s team have sold themselves short. “It’s been evident since the start of the season, apart from maybe two or three performances in the bigger games,” he said. “What’s maybe been lacking is the work ethic that the team have had, not just over the last season or so, but the last couple of years. There has definitely been an edge missing. We have to try to get it back. That’s the biggest thing for us.”

The complexion of group G hinges on tonight’s fixtures. A bit like Bucharest, where leafy avenues and classical buildings compete with downtrodden relics of the Communist era, the two potential scenarios facing Rangers after this one could hardly be more different. Another defeat would kill off their hopes of progressing from the group, and would even make it difficult to drop down to the Europa League by finishing third. A win could — depending on the Seville-Stuttgart result — entitle them to a share of second place, with a home game against struggling Stuttgart and an away fixture at Seville still to come. Even a draw would not necessarily be a disaster.

For all their sluggishness of late, Rangers remain relatively unscathed. Whether it is a hangover from last season’s title triumph, or the creeping effect of their financial crisis, which the players were informed about in January, they have been plagued by an outbreak of inconsistency that has yet to inflict irreparable damage at home or abroad.

They are still unbeaten domestically and still in with a realistic shout of claiming at least a place in the Europa League, and European football beyond Christmas.

“We find ourselves in a strange position,” Smith said. “We still have three games to go and we still have an opportunity to qualify. It is down to us. We have had some terrific away performances before, but we had them through a great deal of hard work, and we will need to replicate that.”

A surreal atmosphere is expected in the Steaua Stadium, to which Unirea have been relocated for the Champions League. Their tiny ground, about 30 miles north-east of the city, will stand empty while their modest support makes its way into town for what they hope will be a repeat showing of the Ibrox debacle.

The hope for Rangers is that they have learnt their lesson. Their veteran defender, David Weir, spoke yesterday of the “wake-up call” that Unirea administered two weeks ago, since when their performances have been brighter. Smith, meanwhile, was asked if there was pride at stake, if his team were motivated by revenge.

“What’s done is done,” he said. “Yes, there is a bit of that. You need to look back and say, ‘We want to acquit ourselves better than we did in the first game.’ But it’s not the main object. We are here to try to win.”

His ambition is shared by the Unirea manager, Dan Petrescu, who has bet with his players that they will not win another point in group G. It is, of course, a motivational ploy designed to guard against the drop in standards that often follows overachievement. If he finds himself paying out tomorrow morning, Smith will be counting a heavier cost.

Unirea Urziceni (possible; 4-1-4-1): G Arlauskis — E Nicu, V Maftei, G Galamaz, P Brandán — Ricardo — S Varga, S Frunza, T Balan, I Apostol — M Bilasco.

Rangers (possible; 4-1-4-1): A McGregor — S Whittaker, D Weir, D Wilson, S Papac — L McCulloch — S Naismith, K Thomson, S Davis, K Lafferty — K Miller.

Referee: C Bo Larsen (Denmark).