STEVEN GERRARD has backed his Rangers stars to shine on the European stage once again as they target victory over Benfica.

The Light Blues have given themselves a real chance of a knockout round berth this term after earning seven points from their first three Europa League outings.

And Gerrard knows the rave reviews and admiring glances that his players can receive with their performances on the continent as he looks for another headline grabbing win on Thursday night.

Gerrard said: “When you speak to players and try to attract them to the club, the carrot you are using is European football and challenging against those top players, individually and collectively, from the likes of Galatasaray, Benfica, Porto and Feyenoord, to name a few.

“This is the level the players want to test themselves at. But it’s also a level a lot of people watch around the world.

“If you can prove you can compete and cope at this level, a lot of people are going to take note of that.

“It was the same for me when I played. When I broke into the Liverpool team as a local lad, it was big. But when I started playing in the Europa League and Champions League, your profile changes.

“That's the same as a player, coach or team as a whole. There are more eyes, more cameras, more countries watching you.”