SOCCER:Steven Gerrard has voiced the conviction held by the Liverpool squad that Chelsea can be overcome in next week's Champions League semi-final, with the Merseysiders intent on ending their season by securing a sixth European Cup in Athens next month.
On Wednesday, Rafael Benitez's side will travel to Stamford Bridge for the first leg of a highly anticipated tie. This will be a repeat of the encounter at the same stage two years ago when Luis Garcia's goal at Anfield in the return leg secured Liverpool their passage to Istanbul.
Gerrard and his team-mates trail the Premiership champions by 14 points, with the minimum requirement of their domestic aspirations being a top-four finish and a chance to qualify for next season's Champions League, which can be secured with victory against Wigan tomorrow.
But the team's toils in the Premiership have merely served to focus their attention on prevailing in Europe for the second time in three seasons. "I believe there is still more to come from us this season and we have kept enough in the tank to bring success back to Anfield in May," said Gerrard, who scored his 10th and 11th goals of the season against Middlesbrough on Wednesday.
"Now everyone is playing for places (for the Chelsea match) and that is always a nice situation for the manager to be in. We've just about got a full squad to chose from and everybody wants to be involved in the big games."
Jermaine Pennant, one of Liverpool's more impressive performers in the lacklustre victory against Boro, may find his place on the right side of midfield taken by Gerrard at Stamford Bridge, though the former Arsenal winger is philosophical about potentially starting the game on the bench.
"Benitez is the manager and no one faults his choices," he said. "If he wants it to be more defensive in the first leg, then Stevie is more defensive than me.
"I'm an out-and-out winger, while Stevie has a defensive side to his game. If the manager wants to go with that against Chelsea, then fair enough. He knows what I can do and I'm sure I will either be on the bench or starting off. It is not a problem. I'm just pleased to have found a consistent level to my play."
Meanwhile, Frank Lampard insists Chelsea have learned to live with having to kick-off after Manchester United as they look to overhaul the leaders in the Premiership title run-in.
Chelsea closed the gap behind United to just three points once more with a comfortable 4-1 win over West Ham at Upton Park.
Mourinho's side will kick off at the same time or later than United between now and the end of the season and that gives the leaders a slight edge, according to Lampard.
The midfielder, who was booed every time he touched the ball by fans who once idolised him at Upton Park, said: "It has been like that for a while. The only time we played ahead of them was when they lost to Portsmouth. We have virtually always been the second team playing and it has been difficult. There is an added pressure when they have won, but we have learned to live with that problem.
"We have to keep winning, and at this stage of the season it is so close that whether they win, lose or draw, we still have to do our thing and not take too much notice of their results. We are trying not to look too much at the points. We know we have got to play United, but we have got to keep winning. The moment we drop points it will become very tough for us."
Guardian Service
