Philippe Clement, as he has said repeatedly, would expect his Rangers players to adapt and to win even if they were forced to play in a car park. So, the Ibrox manager isn’t looking for, or willing to accept, any excuses ahead of the trip to face Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.

That doesn’t mean he has to like it though. The Rangers manager rather pointedly rhymed off a list of Europe’s top leagues when discussing the topic, implying that as artificial surfaces are not acceptable at such a level, neither should they be permitted here in Scotland.

It seems as though critics of plastic pitches have finally won the wider debate, with Killie themselves reported to be looking to install a grass surface once more, but for now, Clement is all too aware that Rangers simply have to deal with what is directly in front of them.

That is a stern test against an impressive Kilmarnock outfit under Derek McInnes first and foremost, who have made the most of any home advantage their surface offers them. And he will have to do it without one of his strikers, with the astroturf deemed too much of a risk given his recent – and longer term – injury issues.

“I cannot put Kemar Roofe in the selection again because of the surface,” Clement said.

“So that is a clear message from my medical staff that it is too risky after his injury and amount of injuries.

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“In that way, it is a disadvantage to play on that kind of pitch. But we need to adapt again, and it is a chance for another player.

“We will approach that game like all of the games, with the respect for the opponent but also respect for ourselves to play our own game, although we need to adapt to a totally different kind of football because of the pitch.

“It is not easy but we did it before at Livingston and we need to do it again. There is only one thing important and that is getting three points. It will be a totally different game to what we normally play.”

Supporters of plastic pitches may point to the fact that the nation’s grass pitches, such as the barren patch of mud that Rangers recently won on at McDiarmid Park, are hardly playing like bowling greens at the minute either.

But Clement expanded his point when asked what the key differences were between a natural and an artificial playing field.

“A lot of things,” he said.

“I made the comparison with the game of tennis and playing at Wimbledon or on clay court. It is a little bit like that.

“The ball goes faster so you need to be more precise. On a grass pitch, when you give a pass, it slows down after a while. On an artificial it keeps its speed or goes even faster along the way. The ball bounces in a totally different way.

“If you give passes in the air or shots at goal, you cannot go with your foot underneath the ball like you normally do on a grass pitch. You need to adapt your body towards that.

“Also, the way of turning, the way of sprinting, the way of stopping is different. So that is a lot of things that are different, but it is what it is.

“In the league, there is the decision for the moment that it is still possible to play on those surfaces. I don’t think in the Premier League it is possible, or in La Liga or in the top leagues. I hear in Scotland everybody is also convinced now it is not the best way to play football, but we are going to go there to get the three points.

“I said it before also before Livingston, I don’t care if it is on that pitch or on a parking lot that we need to play, we are going to go there to get the three points and that is the most important thing.”

Clement knows that might not be so straightforward though, given Kilmarnock’s record this season against both sides of the Old Firm. But he doesn’t think the opening day defeat at this same venue - that nudged Michael Beale’s season into a tailspin from which Rangers never really recovered until the Belgian came to town - will have any bearing on the outcome.

“It is a totally different story,” he said.

“There were other ideas, other players also. A lot of things have changed. I don’t think you need to put a lot of emphasis on that.

“The guys are focused and they know they need to adapt to other circumstances. They have respect for the opponent also, about how they are doing things.

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“If I am right, in six Old Firm games this season they have won three, one draw and two losses. One time against us at Ibrox, that one I remember. We are going to go there full focus, but it is one of those dangerous moments.

“At the end, I will see danger in every game. If you don’t have respect for your opponents then you become lazy, sloppy.

“Kilmarnock, their track record from the last couple of months is really good. They are going to make it a huge fight, we know how they play, and we need to be ready for that.

“My players need to be ready, not only me.”