As Stuttgart gear up to welcome Barcelona to the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion on Tuesday night, former Liverpool defender Markus Babbel is eager to see Die Roten qualify for the knockout rounds. What's more, the former Liverpool legend has a long-term plan for himself: to manage at Anfield.
Markus Babbel, assistant manager at VfB Stuttgart, has pledged that his team will do its utmost to make it to the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Having lost on Matchday 1 to Rangers at Ibrox, the German side faces an uphill struggle, with Barcelona the opponents at the Gottlieb-Daimler on Tuesday.
Nonetheless, the former Liverpool man insists that their European challenge is very much alive.
"European football is a bit different from the Bundesliga but I think Stuttgart can play at the highest level and if the players perform to their best we can beat any team on our day. At the very least we should be aiming to qualify from this group," he told UEFA.com.
Babbel himself is no stranger to European success, being a member of the Liverpool side that won an historic treble in 2001, including a close-fought UEFA Cup final win over Deportivo Alaves of Spain.
"It was the best time in my life," sighed the former defender.
"I played for one of the biggest clubs in Europe alongside players like Gary [McAllister], who's a legend for me because he's such a great character and leader.
"We won five trophies together. That was a fantastic time.
"The only sadness for me was that I became ill after that and never came back as before. I was a little unlucky but this one season will always be in my head."
Indeed, while Babbel's career was cut short by Guillain-Barré syndrome, he's still heavily involved in football - and even has his eye on the Anfield hotseat.
"I would like to manage a club in Britain one day," he revealed.
"I love the British style of football and especially the passion of the fans at big clubs like Liverpool.
"Of course, it would be a dream to go back to Anfield as manager, but there's a lot of hard work to be done before that can happen."
Babbel, 35, spent three years with Liverpool - plus one on loan at Blackburn - before signing for Stuttgart in 2004. The Munich-born player has also served hometown side Bayern, and Hamburger SV.
Markus Babbel, assistant manager at VfB Stuttgart, has pledged that his team will do its utmost to make it to the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Having lost on Matchday 1 to Rangers at Ibrox, the German side faces an uphill struggle, with Barcelona the opponents at the Gottlieb-Daimler on Tuesday.
Nonetheless, the former Liverpool man insists that their European challenge is very much alive.
"European football is a bit different from the Bundesliga but I think Stuttgart can play at the highest level and if the players perform to their best we can beat any team on our day. At the very least we should be aiming to qualify from this group," he told UEFA.com.
Babbel himself is no stranger to European success, being a member of the Liverpool side that won an historic treble in 2001, including a close-fought UEFA Cup final win over Deportivo Alaves of Spain.
"It was the best time in my life," sighed the former defender.
"I played for one of the biggest clubs in Europe alongside players like Gary [McAllister], who's a legend for me because he's such a great character and leader.
"We won five trophies together. That was a fantastic time.
"The only sadness for me was that I became ill after that and never came back as before. I was a little unlucky but this one season will always be in my head."
Indeed, while Babbel's career was cut short by Guillain-Barré syndrome, he's still heavily involved in football - and even has his eye on the Anfield hotseat.
"I would like to manage a club in Britain one day," he revealed.
"I love the British style of football and especially the passion of the fans at big clubs like Liverpool.
"Of course, it would be a dream to go back to Anfield as manager, but there's a lot of hard work to be done before that can happen."
Babbel, 35, spent three years with Liverpool - plus one on loan at Blackburn - before signing for Stuttgart in 2004. The Munich-born player has also served hometown side Bayern, and Hamburger SV.
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