GLASGOW (AFP) - Rangers's Scottish Premier League match against bottom-of-the table Gretna, due to take place on Sunday, has been postponed until next month in a bid to help the Glasgow giants prepare for their make or break Champions League match against Lyon.

Rangers wanted a fresh date for the Gretna game so their players were as fit as possible for the match against French champions Lyon a week on Wednesday here at Ibrox.

The Gretna fixture will now take place on Wednesday, January 16.

Rangers need just a draw from what will be their final Champions League group match to make it through to the lucrative last 16 of European football's premier club competition.

Team officials had said players could risk injury or fatigue if they had to play two games in three days and they pointed to the example of the decision to give Rangers and Celtic players the weekend off ahead of last month's Euro 2008 qualifier against Italy.

"We all know what is at stake with a place in the last 16 up for grabs," Rangers midfielder Charlie Adam said before the postponement was announced.

"Scotland were given help when four clubs agreed to put their games off the weekend before the Euro 2008 qualifier with Italy.

"They knew then that the main players were going to be rested up in advance of the match and that they were not going to get injured.

"That was beneficial and this should be seen as being something for the good of Scottish football in the long run.

"If it was called off then we'd have nobody injured barring an accident in training. Touch wood, that won't happen but in a game situation you never know what might happen.

"We went to Motherwell in September and Darche (Jean-Claude Darcheville) was injured immediately before the last Lyon match."

Rangers have suffered injury setbacks in recent weeks, with DaMarcus Beasley the latest Ibrox star to face a lengthy spell on the sidelines after sustaining a knee ligament injury against Stuttgart last week.

Darcheville then limped out of Saturday's win against Kilmarnock with a hamstring strain, paving the way for Adam's return.