Liverpool vs Inter Milan preview

Inter Milan go into the Champions League quarter-final with 5 wins from 6 group stage games while Liverpool just managed to scrape through the group stage thanks to an 4-0 drubbing of Marseille. Liverpool go into Anfield on the back of a draw at Stamford Bridge and a critical loss in the FA Cup to Barnsley. It certainly seems like a daunting prospect for Rafa but Liverpool were in this same situation in 2005, when they were fighting for 4th place with local rivals Everton, plagued by injuries and up against the mighty Juventus. Liverpool somehow defied all odds and went on to win their 5th Champions League trophy. The Champions League is where Benitez is at his best and Roberto Mancini will definitely be aware of the 12th man for Liverpool tonight- The Kop. Should Gerrard score a goal in the match, he will achieve a record by scoring a goal in 5 consecutive Champions League games and it will be his 50th goal for Liverpool. In four matches against Italian opposition at Anfield in the Champions League in recent times, Liverpool have won all 4 of them. Inter arrive in Liverpool coming from a 2-0 win over Livorno, stretching their lead at the top of Serie A to 11 points. Rafa will be boosted by the fact that Gerrard, Reina, Mascherano, Arbeloa and Aurelio are fully fit. Only Daniel Agger and Andriy Voronin are out nursing long-term injuries as he looks to plot Inter's downfall at Anfield and keep Liverpool on course for a sixth European crown.