Grim precedent inspires Gallas

Disputed goal
Liverpool FC triumphed 1-0 that night thanks to Luís Garcia's fourth-minute strike. The French defender thought he had hooked the Spaniard's effort to safety, but the ball was adjudged to have crossed the line, and Liverpool held on for the next 86 minutes to reach the final. "Coming back to Anfield will bring back some memories ... very bad memories," Gallas told uefa.com. "I don't think about it now. It's in the past and we can't change the past. The best team lost. We had 90 minutes to score a goal. We didn't, and we ended up watching the final on TV."

Incredible final
Despite his disappointment, Gallas is full of praise for Liverpool's performance in the Istanbul showpiece. He said: "I was watching the first half, and like everybody, I thought it was over. I was at home thinking they could have let us go to the final: 3-0 down in a Champions League final - we could have done better I thought! Then I started to watch the second half, and when I saw Liverpool scoring and scoring again, I thought: 'It's not possible!' I watched this crazy game until the end. After such a game, you can't say anything - Liverpool were the best team on the pitch, they deserved to win the final."

Anfield atmosphere
With both of the Premiership sides having taken maximum points from their opening Champions League Group G games, Gallas is now expecting a tumultuous atmosphere at Anfield. "Liverpool fans always push their team to exceed their limits," he said. "There is such a great atmosphere at Anfield. Sometimes, when they sing, we can't hear each other on the pitch. Personally, I love playing games like this. When you have all the supporters against you, you want to prove that you are the strongest team."

Premiership success
Both clubs have strengthened their squads since last year's encounter, with Chelsea bringing in Michael Essien, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Asier Del Horno, while Liverpool have signed Peter Crouch, José Reina and Mohamed Sissoko. Chelsea's additions have been a more obvious success to date, with the club already 14 points ahead of Liverpool in the Premiership, but Gallas knows the Reds are still a formidable side in Europe.

European transformation
He said: "Even if they are not in top position in the Premiership, they proved that they are still competitive by winning in Seville against [Real] Betis [Balompié]. The Champions League can transform a team. They have the title, and I guess we have to deal with them this season."

Final hurdles
However, the pain of defeats in two successive Champions League semi-finals could yet fire Chelsea to even greater achievements. "For two years in a row, Chelsea were so close to reaching the final," said Gallas. "I could have been there, playing the first Champions League final of my career. It's always difficult to accept things like that, but it gives you a higher motivation to achieve the things this year that you didn't manage last season."

Hungry for success
It has certainly left Gallas hungry for success. "We want to win everything: the Premiership, cups, the Champions League," he said. "Win, win, and win!"