Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is confident his team can overcome Chelsea in the League Cup semi-final and use the experience as a springboard for the season.
The Reds host the semi-final first-leg at Anfield on Tuesday hoping to improve on recent results against Chelsea.
A 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge in November was preceded by a 2-0 reverse towards the end of last season which cost Liverpool vital ground in the title race.
Indeed Liverpool’s last victory over the Blues was a 4-1 success in May 2012 - which completed a league double over the Londoners - before Rodgers was at the club.
While the former Chelsea coach is keen to win his first trophy at Liverpool, Rodgers is adamant he will not sacrifice the chance of finishing in the top four to do so.
“Our objective is still very much to win a trophy and to qualify for the Champions League,” Rodgers said ahead of Tuesday’s Sky Live clash.
“I think that winning a trophy for us would help our future here and what we’re trying to build and what we’re trying to deliver. It will give the younger players lots of experience
“I remember being at Chelsea. I joined in 2004, and at that point in time in their history Chelsea were a club that wanted to win titles and win trophies.
“They’ve maybe done it in a different way, but they’ve certainly, over the last 10 years, shown that once you’ve won that first one that you can hopefully go on and sustain it.
“But they will tell you that the players back then, some of them who are still there now, that that first trophy at the time was the most important.
“And for us over these two games, we know it’s going to be a challenge but we know if you want to win the competition you have to beat the best teams. And at this moment in time Chelsea are the best in the country.
“But over two games we’re really looking forward to it because when we last played them we weren’t in a good moment. But now in this moment and the point of the season where we are at we are developing and improving and our confidence is very high.
“Two tough games but games that we are really relishing.”
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