Jermaine Pennant wants Liverpool to follow one of his former clubs Arsenal into the Champions League quarter-finals.
The Gunners qualified for the last eight along with Manchester United and Chelsea last week.
Now tonight Pennant hopes to be a key member of Liverpool’s side aiming to become the fourth English side to make the quarter-finals when they take on Inter Milan.
Liverpool are 2-0 ahead from the first-leg, and Pennant said: “It was a great result and performance from Arsenal last week to get to the quarter-finals, and I hope that Liverpool can do the same.
“This is a huge game for us, a very tough test. Inter are a quality team and we will have to be at our best.”
Arsenal beat AC Milan last week in this same San Siro stadium, and Pennant wants Liverpool to follow suit.
He said: “It shows how strong the Premier League is. We see top world stars performing in it every week, they are all very good players with great teams. I am not surprised the English top four have done so well.”
Boss Rafael Benitez was more careful with his words, saying: “I would rather not talk about such a situation until after our game with Inter.
“We are confident and in Fernando Torres we have a player who does not seem to be able to stop scoring. He is just the right sort of player for a game like this.
“He and Steven Gerrard are on fire at the moment, and I have a lot of confidence that both of them will be the key to this match for us.”
Benitez has Jamie Carragher playing his 100th European game for the club while Javier Mascherano is fit again after a groin injury.
But Liverpool will be without midfielder Xabi Alonso, who stayed behind on Merseyside to be with his girlfriend, who had gone into labour.
Benitez said: “Xabi wanted to stay behind. He had said he would come if things were okay, but we couldn’t wait, wait, wait, and I now have to use my squad.”
Benitez also wants to make sure that the latest twist in the club’s takeover saga -with co-owner Tom Hicks breaking off talks with Dubai International Capital - does not affect his players on the brink of their most important game of the season.
He said: “My reaction to this news is to concentrate on my side scoring goals to beat Inter Milan.
“We are thinking only about the game. The aim is to do what we have been doing before against Inter, and we know that if we score then we win the tie.”
The Gunners qualified for the last eight along with Manchester United and Chelsea last week.
Now tonight Pennant hopes to be a key member of Liverpool’s side aiming to become the fourth English side to make the quarter-finals when they take on Inter Milan.
Liverpool are 2-0 ahead from the first-leg, and Pennant said: “It was a great result and performance from Arsenal last week to get to the quarter-finals, and I hope that Liverpool can do the same.
“This is a huge game for us, a very tough test. Inter are a quality team and we will have to be at our best.”
Arsenal beat AC Milan last week in this same San Siro stadium, and Pennant wants Liverpool to follow suit.
He said: “It shows how strong the Premier League is. We see top world stars performing in it every week, they are all very good players with great teams. I am not surprised the English top four have done so well.”
Boss Rafael Benitez was more careful with his words, saying: “I would rather not talk about such a situation until after our game with Inter.
“We are confident and in Fernando Torres we have a player who does not seem to be able to stop scoring. He is just the right sort of player for a game like this.
“He and Steven Gerrard are on fire at the moment, and I have a lot of confidence that both of them will be the key to this match for us.”
Benitez has Jamie Carragher playing his 100th European game for the club while Javier Mascherano is fit again after a groin injury.
But Liverpool will be without midfielder Xabi Alonso, who stayed behind on Merseyside to be with his girlfriend, who had gone into labour.
Benitez said: “Xabi wanted to stay behind. He had said he would come if things were okay, but we couldn’t wait, wait, wait, and I now have to use my squad.”
Benitez also wants to make sure that the latest twist in the club’s takeover saga -with co-owner Tom Hicks breaking off talks with Dubai International Capital - does not affect his players on the brink of their most important game of the season.
He said: “My reaction to this news is to concentrate on my side scoring goals to beat Inter Milan.
“We are thinking only about the game. The aim is to do what we have been doing before against Inter, and we know that if we score then we win the tie.”
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