The Swedish World Cup captain, Jonas Thern, returns to his homeland with Rangers in the European Champions' Cup, qualifying round, today recognising that there will be no welcome available from his fellow countrymen.

The supporters of IFK Gothenburg see Thern as one of the major obstacles their team has to ovecome if they are to reach the Champions' League for the third successive season.

And as he was also a signing target for them in the close season, but preferred a move to Ibrox, the hostility will be especially severe. Not that Thern seemed upset at the prospect of that yesterday,

He was more interested in talking about the dilemma which faces both Gothenburg and their former top striker Andreas Anderssen, who signed for AC Milan in the summer only on the understanding that he would be available to play for the Swedish champions in this preliminary round game.

Said Thern: ''It is not a situation which I would like to find myself in, and I don't think that it is a very good situation for Andreas.

''He is a very good player, but I don't know what his condition will be after spending time in Brazil on tour with AC Milan.

''Also, you have the supporters of Gothenburg expecting great things from him in the game against Rangers, but he must know that it could cost him a place in the first team at Milan.

''At the moment he is going to be first choice because he has just signed, but if he is not available in some of the early games, or even if he is injured playing for Gothenburg, then he could lose the position in the first team.

''Also, it may not help the Gothenburg team because they know he has left them and they have signed a replacement, Robert Anderssen, and he may now be left out.

''Already there has been criticism in the newspapers in Sweden about this whole affair. Questions are being asked about his fitness and about his possible attitude.

''I don't know if anyone can forecast just how this will all work out.

''But I cannot see him being at his best physically or mentally for the matches against us. He must have Milan on his mind. That would only be natural.''

Rangers' manager Walter Smith added: ''I doubt if I would like to do this kind of thing. But it is up to them after all. They must think he can help them. But it is an awkward position to be in. A strange one.''

As for his own position Thern admitted: ''Last week, when I was in Malmo, people were saying that I might damage Swedish football because it is so important for IFK to qualify for the Champions' League.

''But it makes no difference to me. I like to win and that is how I shall be approaching this game.

''Obviously Brian Laudrup being out is a blow for the team, but we have to make up for that by making absolutely certain that we concentrate fully on this 90 minutes, remembering that the second half has to be played at Ibrox.

''That will be a very hard game for IFK and they know that already.

''What we must try to do is get a good result to come back to Glasgow and try to score a goal away from home which is important.

''Gothenburg are not an easy team to defeat. They have had one or two bad results recently - they lost six goals last week - but they experimented with a different defensive formation then. Now they have returned to a back four.

''Anyhow, it is up to ourselves. We have to work very hard as a team and if we do that then I believe that we can get the result we want in this game.'' With Laudrup out because of his mild dose of chickenpox - manager Smith has not ruled him out of the second at Ibrox - the spotlight will shift to Paul Gascoigne, missing from most of the competitive games so far through domestic and European suspensions.

Yesterday, the English midfielder missed training but that was precautionary, guarding him from further damaging a calf strain which has been bothering him. There is no doubt, though, that Gascoigne will take his place alongside Thern in the midfield area which will be so vital tomorrow night.

Smith explains: ''We shall have to compensate for Brian Laudrup's absence, but we cannot make a direct swap because no one can play the free role which he is given so I have to work on other changes, little alterations, to get the balance of the side right.

''Paul Gascoigne did miss training this morning but there is not the slightest doubt that he will play. The players we do have concerns about are Ian Ferguson, who has a hamstring injury, and Craig Moore who has an ankle knock. Both of them should be ready, though.

'We have to deploy our resources a little differently and we shall do that. Gordon Durie will have a role to play - but he was always going to be in our plans because he has the running power and the versatility which are so useful in these European games.''

Smith has a high respect for the Swedish opposition, based not just on the latest series of Rangers' spy trips - he was on one himself at the week-end - but on several seasons of looking at them in Champions' League action.

He pointed out: ''They have lost a couple of their most creative players in Jesper Blomquist and Andreas Anderssen, though he is supposed to be playing against us, but basically their team has not changed a great deal. They are very, very steady and well organised and difficult to break down. I think they like to make themselves the underdogs going into European matches. They did that against Manchester United and they did that against Milan and they beat them both. I expect they will come out with that again but I know that there is no way they can be considered as underdogs in this game.'

Rangers leave for Gothenburg this morning and will base themselves just outside the city as they await the game in the Ullevi Stadium tomorrow night.