Valerón up for Anfield action

By Brian Brownstein

Anfield atmosphere
The Spanish international is excited at the prospect of playing at the home of the four-times European champions. "Football has changed a lot, but you can't forget the history," he told uefa.com. "For a football player to go and play at Anfield is special. The fans of Liverpool are incredible and when you go out on to the field you see the sign 'You'll Never Walk Alone', and that tells you about the special relationship the club has with its fans."

Liverpool quality
Although Liverpool have not scaled the same heights since they last lifted the European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1984, Valerón, 29, still believes they are a quality, and knows that Deportivo will have to be at their best to leave Anfield with a victory.

'Very dangerous'
"Liverpool may not be doing very well in the Premiership but every game is different, particularly in the Champions League," he said. "We are expecting a difficult game because Liverpool will always be Liverpool and more so in their stadium. They may not be in their best form yet because they have made many changes, but they are still very dangerous."

Gerrard absent
Valerón, who signed for Deportivo in a €10m transfer from Club Atlético de Madrid in 2000, identifies the Spanish contingent at Liverpool as the biggest threat to his team's chances, especially with Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard out injured with a broken foot.

Spanish contingent
"Gerrard will be missing and that's good for us," Valerón said. "He's a great player. However, we can't forget Xabi Alonso, or Luis García. Alonso is very good at controlling the tempo of the game and is a great passer of the ball, while Garcia is very quick, which we know from playing against him in Spain."

Disappointing start
Deportivo have made a disappointing start to their campaign, failing to score while drawing against Olympiacos CFP at home and losing at AS Monaco FC. Despite occupying bottom spot in Group A, Valerón is confident his side can collect their first win of the competition tonight. "We enjoyed a great deal of luck in England last season and I hope that will continue," Valerón said. "It won't be easy, but I trust we will bring something positive back. I believe this team can do well. We have the quality and mentality and a very good group of players."

Significant result
The Spanish international is fully aware maximum points will boost his side's chances of reaching the knockout stages, but Valerón, who has committed himself to Deportivo until 2010, insists they have no cause to panic yet.

Confident approach
"There's still some way to go," he said. "Last year we were beaten 8-3 by Monaco and still reached the semi-finals, so I'm confident we'll reach the next phase of the competition and have a good Champions League."