STEVEN GERRARD is confident Rangers won’t make the same mistake twice and allow complacency to cost them dear in the Europa League.
The Gers suffered a shock exit at the hands of Progres Niederkorn last summer as Pedro Caixinha led his side to the worst result in their European history.
Gerrard will kick-off his Light Blues career with a first round clash against FK Shkupi next month as they look to progress to a match with CS Petroclub or NK Osijek.
And the 38-year-old is determined to go as far as possible in the competition as he attempts to hit the ground running at Ibrox this term.
Gerrard told RangersTV: “The message to the players will be to focus on the first game. I don’t think it will be a very difficult team talk, that first qualifying round, because of what happened last year.
“The team and the squad were very complacent and went out at that stage, so the team talk is already done, really.
“It’s very important that you stay focused and show this team from Macedonia huge respect because they have earned the right to be here and play against Rangers.
“Rangers is a draw in itself and it will be a cup final for anyone. It is the shop window for their players and they will be desperate to knock us out like the team did last year.
“So we have to be on our toes and show everyone the respect they need.
“We want to play in Europe. This club belongs in Europe. First and foremost we have to go and qualify.
“The new players we have brought in want to play in Europe. I want to coach in Europe. All the fans want big nights at Ibrox and an opportunity to travel away and support the team.
“We are not going to play it down. It’s very important and we want to be in that group stage but it is each step at a time. We focus on the first leg on July 12 and make sure the team are prepared.”
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