Rickie: What Madrid can expect at Anfield
Rickie Lambert was just like any other Red when Liverpool demolished Real Madrid at Anfield five years ago - but tomorrow he'll be hoping to face Los Blancos in the flesh upon their return to L4.
Lambert was a Bristol Rovers player in March 2009, when Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, the man he can now call a teammate, netted at the Anfield Road end to hand the Reds a two-goal cusion in the tie.
The latter then burst onto a Ryan Babel pass and steer a sumptuous strike beyond a stranded Iker Casillas before tearing away across the turf in front of the Kop, arms wide and eyes blazing with sheer joy.
Andrea Dossena turned home Javier Mascherano's pass and Kopites entered dreamland as the aggregate tally arrived at 5-0 and another famous scoreline was written into the history books.
More than half a decade on from that memorable Round of 16 trouncing, Lambert is relishing the reigning European champions' visit to Anfield for the first of two Group B clashes with the Reds.
The fact that Madrid are holders, that they won the competition deep into extra-time against neighbours Atletico Madrid in Lisbon in May, is enough to instil fear into any side paired with Carlo Ancelotti's men.
However, Lambert believes Liverpool have two reasons not to be fazed by Cristiano Ronaldo and co - and that's the players who will be wearing red on Wednesday and the supporters they will go out to fight for.
"This is Liverpool Football Club and this is where we are supposed to be," he told Liverpoolfc.com. "We've been away from the competition for a few years, but this squad definitely feels at home on nights like this. Games don't come bigger than against Real Madrid.
"On any given day, we can beat anyone, especially at home. When the fans are in full voice, which I know they will be against Real Madrid in the Champions League, we're unstoppable at times.
"I can remember watching the 4-0 win [in 2009]. I was in my mum and dad's house in Kirkby. I was confident that we were going to win, but obviously I didn't see the scoreline coming. We absolutely battered them that day. It was one of the great nights of European football at Anfield."
Lambert completed a dream move to Liverpool in the summer when he traded Southampton for Merseyside - and the local lad, who has sampled the Anfield atmosphere as a supporter, as an opponent and now as a home player, knows the sheer power the crowd can generate.
"If [the fans] are in full voice on Wednesday, it doesn't matter who the opposition is, it will be very hard to take any points from us," insisted the 32-year-old. "When they're on song, the fans lift the team more than any other supporters.
"I have seen first-hand what they can do and what level they can raise the players to. If they can get [to those levels] again, which I'm sure they will, it's only going to help us. It's going to lift us up that extra five or 10 per cent, which might win the game.
"It affects the team massively. And it affects the opposition as well. I can't describe it, but it just raises your game up and gives you that extra little bit, which you might not have had. The fans just manage to make that little bit of difference."
