STEVEN GERRARD insists he won’t accept any excuses from his Rangers players as they bid for a Europa League second round berth in Macedonia tonight.

The Light Blues take a 2-0 lead into their return leg with FK Shkupi after a Jamie Murphy strike and James Tavernier penalty earned them an Ibrox win on Thursday.

Rangers will have to contend with the 30-degree heat and tricky underfoot conditions inside the Arena Philip II in the capital of Skopje.

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The travelling Gers support, and a handful of Gerrard’s players, will need no reminding of what can happen in the early European rounds following the embarrassing exit to Progres Niederkorn 12 months ago.

And the Ibrox boss is confident his side are fully prepared for the challenge ahead as they look to set up a meeting with Osijek or FC Petrocub at the second stage.

Gerrard said: “All of those excuses are the others that players find easily, and they are not the type of players that I want here or around a club the size of this.

“It is a leveller, it is the same for both teams, it is going to be hot for both teams and the pitch is going to be the same.

“It is not even such a big advantage for them because they don’t play here week in week out because it is the national stadium, which helps us well.

“The players have got a feel of them individually and collectively and know what they are about.

“They have been made well aware of the pitfalls and the banana skins if they think they can bowl in here and be complacent and play at 80 per cent. It is not going to be the case.

“We need to make sure we carry out our game plan to our maximum and we are confident we will get the right result.”

Rangers dominated for large spells at Ibrox on Thursday night as Gerrard marked his competitive debut with a well-deserved victory.

But it took the late spot-kick from captain Tavernier to give the Gers breathing space in the tie as a series of chances were spurned and Shkupi stood firm.

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Now Gerrard has urged his players to go and finish the job this evening as the Light Blues target the goal that would kill off the tie and Shkupi’s hopes of an upset.

Gerrard said: “Yes, it does, if we defend properly. We are not here with any kind of swagger or over-confidence.

“It is a Europa League game so I think it is important that you show whoever you are playing the respect that they deserve.

“I think if you analyse the first leg it is quite clear that we were the dominant team and we should have had it wrapped up.

“Now we come here and we say to the players ‘you have left yourselves work to do’ and they have got to go about their work properly if they are going to get a result.”