Both were team-mates at Aston Villa, and the German internationalist is an admirer of Walter Smith’s main midfield man.

Although Davis is playing wide on the right, as opposed to in the centre where he operated at Villa, Hitzlsperger believes he is one of the biggest threats to his side’s ambitions of winning tonight at Ibrox.

He said: “What I like about Steve is he has a good mentality and temperament.

“He has continued to improve since our days at Villa.

“He’s done well in his time at Rangers. He was one of the key players in the team that reached the UEFA Cup Final, that tells you how good he is.

“As well as being a top player he is a good lad so I will wish him all the best before the game but, hopefully, I’ll be the one coming out on top.”

The German believes Rangers are now a better team than they were two years ago, because they don’t rely on just one player now.

He said: “Two years ago Rangers relied on one player – Barry Ferguson.

“He tended to dominate in the middle of the pitch and you would always see him in the centre shouting at all the players.

“Although Ferguson is a good player, Rangers are now more versatile because responsibility

is shared across the team.

“They have very good individual players like Pedro Mendes, Madjid Bougherra and Steven Davis.

“Rangers don’t have the same reliance on one individual and this allows the others more freedom to play.

“However, we have come here to win the game and we believe we can do so if we perform well.”