Rafa confident stat will continue

Liverpool have won five, drawn four and lost only one of their games after European ties this season - including victories over Chelsea and Manchester United.

"These statistics are good," Benitez told his weekly press conference.

"It's good because it's not easy after international breaks or Champions League games. You have to manage with the squad you have. If you have enough quality, you can still play well and win.

"The players know it's a massive game for us and I'm sure the fans will be supportive as well. The team put in great effort the other day. We played really well for the first 15 or 20 minutes, and afterwards Chelsea were better than us - it's simple."

The Reds could go top - albeit perhaps for just a few hours - by gaining a point against Sam Allardyce's men on Saturday lunchtime.

Benitez accepts the Premier League may now be Liverpool's best chance of silverware following the 3-1 loss in the Champions League quarter-final first leg.

"Blackburn is the target now and afterwards we will see about Chelsea," said the boss. "The position in the table is good and we'll try to be at the top by the end of the game.

"This game was always important, but clearly now because it's more difficult in the Champions League, we need to know it's our best option if we want to win a trophy.

"If we can win, they (United) will be under pressure. They are in a better position now so it still depends on them, but we still have to do our job.

"We have to do everything almost perfectly, and that means winning almost every game."

Liverpool Football Club is now on Twitter, a free micro-blogging service that lets us keep supporters up to date with what’s happening at the club. To follow life behind the scenes at LFC TV and liverpoolfc.tv, click here››