Gerrard's team could now come up against one of the sides knocked out of the Champions League when the tournament resumes in February.

But he reckons that will only give his team the chance to test themselves against one of Europe's biggest names.

Gerrard – whose side had to shake off the pain of Sunday's Betfred Cup final defeat to Celtic – said: "It's going to be very nice to see Rangers in the draw, among some elite teams around Europe.

"It was an aim and target when I came through the door, to get respect back in European competitions. The fans live for nights like this.

"Getting through gives the club a bit of kudos, for sure. But it's important we park it up. We've got big league games coming up.

"However, this gives us something to look forward to. I'm so proud of the players.

"On the back of the weekend, it was a magnificent effort to take the club into the draw on Monday."

Manchester United, Arsenal, Ajax and Inter Milan are among the giant clubs Rangers could find themselves paired against.

But Gerrard has warned that his team will be ready to take on whoever they face.

Asked who he wanted in the next round, the former Liverpool skipper declared: "Anyone. Look, we'll get who we're given. We'll be the team other teams might fancy playing.

"But I'm sure Porto, Young Boys and Feyenoord all felt like that too. We'll give it our best shot and surprise a few more people.

"We've just qualified in front of some decent teams. So we're ready for whoever we're drawn against."