Why Philippe Clement Dundee-Rangers claim is open to scrutiny as Dens Park side chase historic target

No further pitch inspections are planned. The clash has accumulated considerable extra significance since it was originally meant to be played, with the Ibrox side's title hopes now lying on the line. It has also gained renown. Supporters of other top-flight club had begun to view the saga as tedious in the extreme, although at least the post-split fixtures have now been published. One of many accusations being thrown at Dundee in recent weeks was that they were holding up the entire season with their pitch travails.

It's interesting to flick through a copy of the match programme from March 17, when the teams were originally scheduled to meet. “Good afternoon and welcome along to the Scot Foam Stadium for today’s league match against Rangers,” is Dundee manager Tony Docherty's greeting in his column.

All pretty much spot on. Except it will be evening rather than afternoon when the match finally kicks-off. Docherty was right about the venue being the Scot Foam Stadium – or Dens Park, which is the more familiar name he reverted to when speaking at his pre-match briefing on Tuesday. Perth has been put on hold for the time being.

Printing costs being what they are, the same match programme will be on sale on Wednesday. The now out-of-date league table shows Rangers two points ahead of Celtic at the top, having played the same number of matches. How the Ibrox side will wish they can turn the clock back to a month ago.

Since the middle of March they have played three league matches and dropped five points, two of them against rivals Celtic. Three more were lost in disastrous fashion on a black day in the Highlands for Rangers on Sunday.

Clement has recognised that the dynamics have changed even in the space of seven days, with the fixture initially rearranged for last Wednesday. Since then Dundee have sealed a top six place and the Ibrox side have handed the initiative to Celtic in the title race following that 3-2 defeat in Dingwall against Ross County.

Clement has suggested that all the uncertainty surrounding Dens Park pitch-gate was a factor in this major setback. The Belgian complained that the talk had been about "everything except football" at Ibrox in the days leading up to the match. Even booking pre-match accommodation for the Dundee game was a headache as they awaited news on the whereabouts of the latest iteration of a fixture that has now become synonymous with chaos. A meeting in November was held up for 45 minutes after Rangers arrived late due to traffic congestion. The players were then ordered off the pitch by the referee soon after kick-off when smoke from pyro devices let off by visiting supporters engulfed the pitch and several players.

There's no hiding place now. Rangers are hurting. Fans turned on them in Dingwall, something that hasn't happened before under Clement. Mohamed Diomande and Ridvan Yilmaz, two of Rangers' best performers in recent weeks, remain absent.

Dundee, meanwhile, have what Clement described as "a free ride" this evening. They are now secure in the top six with a game to spare following a 0-0 draw against Aberdeen on Saturday combined with Motherwell's late comeback against Hibs. Still, it’s wrong to claim they have little to play for.

Dundee now have a tilt at finishing fifth, which, providing Aberdeen do not win the Scottish Cup, would mean securing European qualification through the league for the first time since the days of Jocky Scott (the player) in 1973.

The last time Dundee played in Europe, in the Uefa Cup in 2003/4, it was because they finished runners-up to Rangers in the Scottish Cup final, with the Ibrox side having already qualified for the Champions League.

Rangers’ current Champions League ambitions hang in the balance at Dens Park after losing to Ross County, a rarer than an eclipse event. It was the first-ever time Rangers have been beaten by the Dingwall club. Defeats against Dundee at Dens Park are more common, though only just. Rangers have lost just three times in 33 visits stretching back to 1986. Nevertheless, the ground’s appeal for Rangers has clearly dimmed since the days when Ally McCoist hailed the park as among his favourite pitches in Scotland.

Two of these defeats have been in their last seven visits, although their last trip there for an actual game of football saw Clement’s side record their biggest away win of the season – the traffic and pyro affected 5-0 win in November, shortly after the Belgian’s arrival. It was a rare off day for Dundee at Dens this season.

While it might be over-egging things to refer to the stadium as a fortress, it's seen six home wins in 15 league games thus far as well as four draws.

Dundee thanked St Johnstone for making McDiarmid Park – where they’ve actually won more recently than at Dens – available, but there will be relief at being given the green light to host the Rangers game. The logistical headache of re-allocating seats to around 9,000 fans at a different stadium 20 or so miles down the Tay at such short notice will have been keeping club officials awake at night this week.

Dundee will have to pay a fee to St Johnstone for keeping the ground available. No one is confident enough to say for sure the weather won’t turn.

It’s not yet known whether Dundee will be required to confirm McDiarmid Park as the contingency plan for next weekend’s first post-split televised clash against Celtic, with St Johnstone playing at home the previous day against Hibs. Of perhaps more pressing concern is the Tay road bridge, which, as in November when Rangers were caught up in traffic chaos, is currently reduced to one lane.

It’s understood the Ibrox club have booked overnight accommodation in Fife again. What could possibly go wrong….