Gerrard is wary after Bhoys’ exit

STEVEN GERRARD believes Celtic’s painful Champions League exit to CFR Cluj should act as a warning to his Rangers side. The Ibrox outfit hold a 4-2 lead over FC Midtjylland ahead of tonight’s second leg of their Europa League third qualifying-round tie. Gerrard is refusing to rely on that handsome advantage and feels the shock 4-3 win Cluj pulled off at Parkhead on Tuesday serves notice of the lingering danger posed by clubs at this level. The former Liverpool captain insists Rangers must be fully concentrated against the Danes to ensure they wrap up their place in the play-off round against Legia Warsaw. ‘I think what last night emphasised is that

sometimes these clubs, whether it be in the Europa or Champions League, come and do well,’ said Gerrard, when asked about Celtic’s defeat. ‘You get drawn against them and people think it’s a gimme because they haven’t got this European recognition. ‘But Cluj showed over the two games that they were a right handful and a big threat and Midtjylland are the same. ‘We came off the gas for five or six minutes (in the first leg) and they scored twice against us. ‘You have to respect everyone you come up against. It goes across the board in any competition we’re in. I’ve said it before, we’re not at a stage where we can pick and choose when we want to play and who we want to respect. ‘We’ve achieved nothing — and if we are to achieve something together we have to be at it every game. Respect and focus on the job in hand is a priority.’ Gerrard expects Midtjylland to launch an early onslaught at Ibrox in an attempt to alter the psychology of the tie. ‘They are a very risky opponent,’ he continued. ‘They have big, powerful players who carry a set-piece threat and a counter-attack threat. ‘If you put yourself in their situation it’s almost like they can’t lose. So I assume they are going to come with positivity and throw everything at us. ‘It is certainly not a game we think is finished. The opening 30 minutes will be very important. ‘Midtjylland showed enough last week to deserve the ultimate respect, so it would be naive of us to take our foot off the pedal thinking it’s done.’ Meanwhile, Rangers midfielder Joe Aribo has earned a first call-up from Nigeria after an impressive start to life at Ibrox. The former Charlton player has scored three goals in seven appearances for Gerrard’s side. Born in London to Nigerian parents, the midfielder has now been called up by national boss Gernot Rohr for a friendly against Ukraine in Dnipro on September 10.