If Liverpool were seeking reassurance that they can still pluck unlikely progress from this tie, they had only to look to the peroxide blond restored to their ranks for inspiration.

Barely six months since he broke his leg grotesquely, Djibril Cisse flew with the squad to Italy and could play some part in tonight's daunting second leg at Juventus with the visitors considerably bolstered by their record signing's return.

Reality has set in since last week's heady victory at Anfield. The memory of Liverpool's blazing opening that night, which yielded two goals - as many as the Italians had conceded in the competition all season - offered so much encouragement that Juve's second-half riposte went almost forgotten. Now, shorn of their captain with Steven Gerrard injured and absent, that advantage feels fragile.

To be able to welcome Cisse back to the bench as a potent option is timely, for all that the forward has not kicked a ball since fracturing the tibia and fibula of his left leg against Blackburn in late October. Had it not been for the speed at which the club medics addressed the injury on the turf at Ewood Park, the limb may have had to be amputated. Now, remarkably, the French international could feature again.

"He's been telling me he wants to play for weeks," said Rafael Benitez. "I asked him at the weekend if he was afraid about coming back in, but he just told me he was ready. We'd told him that it's not important for him to play again this season. The priority was to get him fit for next season, but big problems need big solutions. There's no risk in terms of his leg. It's just whether he's fit enough or not. We could use him for 20 minutes if we need his pace or finishing, that little bit of something extra."

"It's been difficult for me, but it's such a wonderful feeling just to be on the pitch again, never mind in the Champions League," said Cisse. "It's hard to explain how I've come back so quickly. So much happens in your head, but at no stage did I wonder whether I'd play again. I'm ready for Juventus."

Cisse has scored three goals in his 15 appearances to date, with his reputation arguably enhanced by a prolonged period on the sidelines, but Liverpool may need his pace to penetrate this evening. The Italians have not conceded a Champions League goal at the Stadio delle Alpi this season and have been 1-0 up at 90 minutes in all their home games, going on to beat Real Madrid 2-0 in the last round.

They need only repeat that to progress - on the four occasions Juve have been defeated 2-1 in the first leg of a European tie, they have always emerged victorious on aggregate. "We mustn't get into a panic searching for the goal," said Fabio Capello, who will be without the injured David Trezeguet. "It will be about getting a grip of the game in midfield."

If the Merseyside club are to flourish where all before have foundered, they will need Xabi Alonso to shrug off four months on the sidelines recovering from a broken ankle. He should start tonight, despite only having 45 minutes of reserve-team football behind him, alongside Igor Biscan in Gerrard's absence.

"We couldn't risk losing our most important player for the next six games," said Benitez, "but with Stevie in the team we have a player who will work hard in terms of his passing and his tackling. We'll have to find alternatives now that we're without that. We're thinking about winning, nothing else."

Two of Liverpool's four European Cups were claimed on Italian soil.

Even so, securing passage into the semi-finals here tonight would still rank as one of their most impressive achievements.