Del Horno ready for Reds

Crucial tie
Both Premiership clubs have already qualified for the knockout stages of the tournament but, according to Chelsea defender Asier Del Horno, there is still plenty to play for. "We want to win the group so that we get a kind draw in the next round," the Spanish international told uefa.com. "I really don't want to finish second and face a group winner like [FC] Barcelona. I'd much prefer to play an easier team!"

Solid record
The game will be the fourth UEFA Champions League meeting between Chelsea and Liverpool in the last two seasons with José Mourinho's side yet to score a goal against their Merseyside rivals. With Liverpool lying a point ahead of the Blues, a draw will be enough to send the defending champions through as group winners. But they will face a daunting task at Stamford Bridge where Chelsea are unbeaten in Europe in 13 matches stretching back to their 2-0 reverse at the hands of Besiktas JK in October 2003.

'We are desperate'
"We are both through to the next stage but it's still important for us to win the match," said Del Horno. "In fact I'd say we are desperate to win this game, because to us playing Liverpool is more than just an ordinary match. They are the current European champions and one of our main challengers for the Premiership title.

Good organiser
"Liverpool are very hard to score against, as we've found out before," he added. "Much of that has to be down to the coach Rafael Benítez who is very, very good at organisation. He's found a great partnership in Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypiä, and the defensive work of their midfielders like Xabi Alonso have also made a difference.

'We will beat them'
"Their coach knows perfectly how to get results in Europe," continued the defender. "I think their winning start against Real Betis [Balompié] was the key to their success and helped them with the rest of the matches. Having said that, though, I am sure we will beat them at Stamford Bridge and win the group at their expense."

Strong enough
Chelsea, who lead Liverpool by 12 points at the top of the English Premiership, will be without the injured French midfielder Claude Makelele for the match against Liverpool. However, Del Horno has no doubt Chelsea have a strong enough squad to cope with the loss.

'The best'
He said: "Only time will tell if Chelsea are the best team in Europe. What I can say is that we have a very good balanced team, and that our ideas and targets are extremely clear. I can understand why it is so difficult for other teams to beat us, because in my opinion we have the best players of any team in the UEFA Champions League."