STEVEN GERRARD believes Porto ‘maxed out’ during their first game with Rangers as he sets his sights on a hugely significant Europa League victory at Ibrox this evening.

Rangers came from behind to earn a draw in the Estadio do Dragao a fortnight ago as Alfredo Morelos cancelled out Luis Diaz’s stunning opener.

The Gers are level on points with Sérgio Conceição’s side but will go top of Group G if they win at Ibrox and Young Boys don’t beat Feyenoord in Rotterdam.

READ MORE: Derek Johnstone: Ibrox crowd can inspire Rangers into knockout rounds with two home wins

And Gerrard is in a confident and bullish mood ahead of the visit of the Portuguese giants.

He said: “I don’t think they under-estimated us – it was more of a case that our display made them stand up and take note – and, if there had been anyone in their camp who didn’t respect us before, they certainly will now,

“But I’m not having this ‘Now we know what Rangers are all about, we’ll do something differently at Ibrox’ talk because they maxed out against us over there; they gave the best performance they could. We expect another tough game because they are a team we have a lot of respect for.

“They have good players who are capable of winning a football match if you allow them the time and space that they want. This has the makings of a fantastic night for everyone, including the neutrals, because we’re right up for this, let me tell you.

READ MORE: Ryan Kent confident Rangers will rise to the occasion at Ibrox as he targets European strike against Porto

“Maybe when the draw was made the other teams looked at Rangers [as a team to take points from]. The opposition, outsiders and certain people in the media would have thought we were the whipping boys in this group, which is good because you use that to your advantage.

“But this is at our place, our stadium. We need the fans with us right from the off, to get behind us and create a really interesting atmosphere for Porto and then we’ll see where that takes us.”