Carragher says Reds won’t take it easy

Liverpool, Aug. 26: Jamie Carragher has warned that Liverpool could pay the ultimate price for complacency if they underestimate Standard Liege in Wednesday’s Champions League qualifier second-leg at Anfield.

Rafa Benitez’s team, who lifted the European Cup for a fifth time by beating AC Milan in Istanbul in 2005, face a nervous return leg against the Belgian champions after failing to score in a tense 0-0 draw in the first leg two weeks ago.

If the second-leg ends as a scoring draw, Liverpool will be knocked out before the Champions League group stages and forced to look ahead instead to a Uefa Cup campaign.

But former England defender Carragher insists that Liverpool will not allow themselves to go into Wednesday’s game with any thoughts of taking Liege lightly.

He said: "They are definitely the toughest opponents we’ve had in a Champions League qualifier. I know people expect us to get through, but it’s not as if we’re playing a Mickey Mouse team.

"The Belgian league has a lot of quality and their champions are used to getting into the group stages. We had a tough match against Anderlecht a few years ago, so I’m not surprised Liege caused us problems.

"They caught us a bit cold in the first leg, but you have to remember that they had gone something like 30 games unbeaten in their league and are a club with rich history. — AFP