DAMARCUS BEASLEY has experienced both agony and ecstasy in his Champions League jousts with Lyon in the past few years.

The American winger savoured the massive high in 2005 when he was part of the PSV Eindhoven side that sent the French giants spinning out of the quarter-finals on penalty kicks.

But the following year he was left looking on in awe as Lyon blew the Dutch cracks off the Stade Gerland pitch.

Central to everything the Rangers wide boy witnessed in those four recent clashes with the team who have won six titles in a row was one man. To give him his full Sunday name, Juninho Pernambucano.

The diminutive but brilliant Brazilian, now 32 and skipper, is one of the key Lyon men Beasley believes Rangers must shackle if they are to have any chance of earning a result here in this lovely city.

Major players have come and gone around the Samba star, but he remains central to everything Lyon do.

Capped 44 times for Brazil, he is widely regarded as one of the best dead-ball experts in the game. He has scored an amazing 33 goals from free-kicks since joining from Vasco de Gama in 2001.

As Beasley explained: "In 2005, we drew 1-1 home and away with Lyon, and then beat them 4-2 on penalties in the Philips Stadion to go into the semi-finals.

"They were a tremendous side, so it really was a fantastic result for PSV. Lyon probably felt they could win it that year with the team they had.

"The following season we drew them again, this time in the last 16.

"In the first match, over in Eindhoven, Juninho was immense and scored the goal to give them a 1-0 lead going to France.

"We still felt we had a good chance in the second game in the Stade Gerland. But they tore us apart, and we lost 4-0. Again, Juninho was the man who made them tick.

He continued: "The team has changed a fair bit in recent seasons, with the likes of Michael Essien, Mamadou Diarra, Florent Malouda, John Carew and Sylvain Wiltord all moving on.

"But Juninho has stayed central to them and I'd imagine, even though I've not seen much of them this season under their new boss, the ex-Portsmouth manager Alain Perrin, and with their new players, that everything goes through him still.

"So it's important to try and stop him playing. It's easier said than done at times. Believe me, Lyon are a top, top side - and Juninho is a world-class midfielder in there."

Beasley believes Rangers must take heart from their opening night win against Stuttgart just under a fortnight ago at Ibrox.

They were not given much chance against the Bundesliga champions, but came from behind with a stirring second-half display to win 1-0.

Given that seven of Walter Smith's line-up against the Germans were sampling the group stages for the first time, Beasley believes they can now feed off that experience.

"I said before the Stuttgart game that Champions League football is totally different to anything else," said the £700,000 summer buy, who has scored three goals and looked extremely lively in Saturday's tough 1-1 draw at Motherwell.

"You are going in against the best teams in Europe, but there is always a chance of getting something if you play well. That's what happened against Stuttgart.

"I felt it took our guys a bit of time to get going, which was natural given that it's new to so many of them.

"But when we started to play, our football was good, the desire and passion was there, and we got the rewards for that.

"While Lyon are favourites tonight, we have to try and dig something out. The pressure is all on them, they are at home and need to win after losing the first game in Barcelona.

"They only play one way and that is to attack. So, if we can stay good defensively, work hard to close them down, then we'll always have an chance of getting a goal from a dead ball situation, or a counter attack."

No matter the outcome this evening, Rangers will still be in the mix. Lyon would move on to three points alongside them if they win.

And Rangers will probably be wanting Barcelona to win in Germany, to keep Stuttgart below them.

"The three points we got in the first game were excellent, and the other sides know we are not just in there to make up the numbers," said Beasley.

"Sure, we are underdogs going into every single match. But we can go and play our game, and see where it takes us." Rangers' big match in Lyon is live on STV, from 7.30pm.