CARLOS CUELLAR is a man on a mission.

Having reached the semi-final stage of the UEFA Cup last season with former club Osasuna the hugely talented Spaniard is desperate to go one step further with Rangers and fulfil a lifelong dream in the process.

With a place in this year's final at the City of Manchester Stadium now within touching distance it is understandable that people tend to over look the club's massive double header against Fiorentina which will make-or-break what has been an incredible Euro run.

Carlos, however, is not one of them and he is fully aware just how much effort and focus will be needed for his side to beat the Viola and progress through to the last stage of the tournament.

The towering defender still has vivid memories of Osasuna's matches against Sevilla last year and just how close he came to booking a place in the glamour final at Hampden.

A 1-0 victory in Pamplona, regarded as one of the finest results in the club's history, gave Los Rojillos hope against the UEFA Cup holders and Carlos enhanced his burgeoning reputation with his performances against Sevilla's star striker Frederic Kanoute.

The second-leg started positively for Jose Angel Ziganda's side but goals for Brazilian duo Luis Fabiano and Renato on 37 and 53 minutes took Juande Ramos' men through and they became the first team in twenty years to successfully defend the trophy.

The 2-1 aggregate defeat remains a painful moment in Carlos' career but he is now desperate to erase this from his memory by helping his new teammates book a trip to Manchester on May 14.

He said: "If we can reach the final it will be a dream come true for me and that is what all the players want.

"That would be a fantastic achievement but we know that we have two very difficult games against Fiorentina to overcome before we can think about going to Manchester.

"They are a good team with good players, especially Mutu who is their best player.

"He produced a great moment against PSV in the last round and showed that he has a lot of quality.

"But we need to be confident going into tomorrow night's first-leg at Ibrox.

"We have beaten a lot of good teams in Europe this season and there is no reason why we can't beat Fiorentina

"Like all the games so far in the UEFA Cup the match at Ibrox will be important, we know this, and if we can keep a clean sheet that would help our chances."

Looking back Cuellar would have loved nothing more than to have lifted the UEFA Cup in his adopted city Glasgow last year but admits that Sevilla were worthy winners after they beat Espanyol in an unforgettable clash at Hampden.

He said: "Our 1-0 first-leg win at home was fantastic, some even said it was one of the best nights in the club's history.

"We had high hopes going into the following game but Sevilla were a very strong team, especially at home, and it was never going to be easy for us.

"Osasuna were, of course, disappointed to come so close to reaching the final but it was an unbelievable achievement for all the players and something I will never forget.

"This season getting so far with Rangers has also been a dream but I do not want it to stop and we have to give everything to beat Fiorentina."

The team from Tuscany reached the semi-final stage after beating Dutch giants PSV 3-1 on aggregate.

Two goals from controversial hitman Mutu sealed a memorable 2-0 second-leg win and Cuellar believes this away victory will have give Cesare Prandelli's side a boost ahead of their trip to Scotland.

He said: "Like all our UEFA Cup games I believe the first-leg at Ibrox will have a big impact on the tie.

"If we can defend well and stop them creating chances we can go to Italy with confidence.

"That is the way we have played in recent games against Panathinaikos, Bremen and Sporting Lisbon.

"We have stopped them from scoring in Glasgow and there is no reason why we can't do this to Fiorentina also."