It will be a big step up for the Superhoops, following Wednesday night’s relatively gentle introduction to match action for the 2004/05 season.
"Caley" have only in the last fortnight been accepted into the SPL after regulations stipulated that member clubs must have their own stadiums and with a minimum capacity of 10,000- with which ICT fell short.
Following two months of talks with the SFA, Caley were finally admitted to the SPL after agreeing a ground share with Aberdeen for competitive fixtures.
It has been a remarkable rise for the former Highland "Super" club. In 1994 the non-league sides of Inverness Thistle and Caledonian FC merged to form ICT. Since then, the club has soared through the leagues, collecting many admirers and supporters, especially after beating Celtic in the Scottish Cup in 2000 and finally reached the elite of Scottish football. For the past two seasons the club has also been beaten cup semi-finalists.
So the size of Rangers’ task tomorrow has been put in place. Caley will provide stern opposition, players will be eager to impress their manager for a starting role come their first game in the SPL at the end of the month.
It will be an excellent test for the London boys to see how far they have come in the pre-season preparations for next season.
The squad remains the same for the fixture with Marc Bircham, Lee Cook, Richard Edghill, Nick Culkin and Dan Shittu all still out injured. Cook and Edghill are expected to return to training early next week, while Shittu and Culkin continue to make good progress in their comebacks from long-term injuries.
Birch meanwhile has had his injured ankle scanned and no structural damage to the joint has been confirmed. The order from the Rangers medical team is simply rest ahead of the games against Bristol Rovers and Crystal Palace- by then he should be back in action.
For the latest up dates from Rangers’ pre-season preparations stay tuned to QPR MAD.