LIVERPOOL boss Rafa Benitez believes the combination of Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard can be the difference between the two sides as Arsenal welcome the Reds to the Emirates for the first leg of this Champions' League quarter-final.
Torres has notched an incredible 28 goals so far in his first season in English football, forming a formidable partnership with Gerrard, and Benitez is adamant the Gerrard-Torres axis will de a defining factor in the upcoming match with the Gunners.
"Arsenal will know that Fernando is on fire," Benitez told The Sun. "He is scoring goals and will be a problem for them.
"Fernando also knows that if we play well he will score goals, so he will always work hard for the team. He has a great mentality and is very competitive.
"In Spain he was playing on his own up front, going to wide areas and going up against defenders," the Spaniard observed.
"Here he has Steven Gerrard behind him so he can play higher and that is the reason why he has scored more goals.
"But against the top sides he must be focused and have confidence in himself because against the best defenders it will be more difficult."
Arsenal's dramatic comeback victory at Bolton on Saturday has given them hope of catching leaders Manchester United in the premier league, and Benitez believes the added pressure of a title challenge will benefit his side.
"Since they beat Bolton, it means they now have the league to think about and that could be an advantage to us," insisted Benitez. "These are games in which the managers know each other and the players know each other.
"That makes it difficult to find an edge, but it also makes the game more exciting."
Benitez's confidence is not unfounded, as he has guided his side to European Cup glory in 2005, as well as reaching the final last year, and he is convinced his side have what it takes to progress.
"We know when we play in Europe we have a lot of confidence," Benitez said on Setanta Sports News. "And playing against Arsenal we beat them 4-1 at Anfield last season. This season we drew 1-1 and we had big problems because Torres was injured. We played 45 minutes with him not fit, and after we had a problem with Alonso.
"I think we can beat them if we do our job and we work as hard as we were working before."
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