Steven Gerrard has insisted that NK Maribor showed scant respect towards Rangers ahead of their Europa League third round qualifier.
A 0-0 result at the Ljudski vrt on Thursday night earned Rangers a place in the Europa League playoff round later this month and they are potentially two games away from the group stage.
Gerrard’s team won the first leg 3-1 at Ibrox last week, which gave them an advantage going into the game, but Gerrard believes Maribor have paid for their overconfidence.
The Gers manager feels the Slovenian outfit showed little respect for Rangers or their players ahead of their tie and he is delighted that his men stood up against such a team.
Gerrard admits that the win will be a source of huge confidence for his players for the rest of the season.
He told Rangers TV following the game: “We have knocked a Champions League team out of the qualifiers and they are devastated.
“They had confidence, they had ego coming into this game and they had no respect for us.
“But, my players have proved over two legs we are better than Maribor, and that pleases me and that gives me great confidence going forward.”
Rangers will be taking on Russian outfit FC Ufa in the playoff round tie, with the first leg slated to take place at Ibrox next Thursday.
