Gerrard vows Reds will be heroes

The Merseyside club face AC Milan in Athens in a repeat of the dramatic European Cup final of 2005, which Liverpool won on penalties.

Gerrard said: "We want to be heroes and come back as winners.

"To win one final was absolutely magnificent - to do it twice would be really special. It will put us up there with the great European teams."

Liverpool came from 3-0 down to beat Milan in Istanbul in a dramatic finale to Europe's premier competition.

It was Gerrard who kick-started their second-half comeback with the first of three Liverpool goals in six minutes.

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The Reds were underdogs for that final, despite beating Juventus and Chelsea en route.

They will again be outsiders to win when they face a rematch with Milan in the Olympic Stadium, but Gerrard said they are much more confident of victory this time.

He added: "Two years ago everything was a surprise. We pulled off a series of great results against the odds, but accepted we were not necessarily the best team in Europe.

"We even shocked ourselves by what we achieved. This time it's been a different feeling all the way through.

"We've come on so much as a team and don't see reaching this stage as a bonus any more.

"I actually expected us to be challenging to win it.

"The Premiership table says we are still behind Manchester United and Chelsea in England and I'd accept that.

"But over three years in Europe we have played all the best teams and come out on top. That tells you how good we've been."

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