Reputations at stake but little besides

Liverpool v Chelsea:The memories of Anfield in early May keep flaring up, particularly since those who were there still have a ringing in their ears from the sonic boom of the crowd. A unique occasion such as that return leg of the European Cup semi-final cannot, by definition, be restaged.

No matter the result, the aftermath is bound to feel different whether or not Liverpool repeat their win.

This evening's victors will be chuffed; the losers will know that there is every likelihood that they are still bound for the knockout phase of the tournament. Autumn teems with second chances. There is a mellowness even to the Chelsea players who decline to be haunted by the ghost goal from Luis Garcia which decided the tie even though the ball probably did not cross the line.

A belated sportsmanship is in the air. "Looking back," said the striker Didier Drogba, "we realised quite quickly that Liverpool deserved to play the final." That is the nub of the matter.

The composed approach of Rafael Benitez's side at Stamford Bridge gave the first inkling that they could win the tournament and the ease with which, say, Dietmar Hamann could stifle Chelsea at Anfield exposed shortcomings.

The visitors, having clinched the Premiership title three days earlier, were trying to surf a wave of adrenalin, but soon looked all washed up on Merseyside. The recollections are so fresh that people overlook the number of changes Jose Mourinho has made since those semi-final games. Of the team that started at Anfield up to half-a-dozen players may not feature tonight.

Tiago has been sold, while Eidur Gudjohnsen, Joe Cole, Geremi and even Ricardo Carvalho, whose comments annoyed the manager, may have to settle for seats on the bench. If Drogba holds his place he will have done so by beating off the challenge of Hernan Crespo, back from his loan year at Milan. The key alterations for Mourinho, though, lie elsewhere.

Injuries ruled out Damien Duff entirely and reduced Arjen Robben to token contributions as a substitute in the semi-final. These are the men, confident when running with the ball and hard to pick up as they break from deep, who might have undermined a Liverpool defence that kept a clean sheet across the entire span of the tie.

It was less commonly noted that Benitez's side were more fluent than Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The dogged and costly mission to buy Michael Essien from Lyon for £24.4 million proved that Mourinho knew his priority was to find the right third party to complete a midfield trio with Claude Makelele and Frank Lampard. The Ghanaian, severe in the tackle and delicate in possession, sees himself as having traits of the other two men in his style.

Mourinho has the funds to hold out for such an ideal candidate, but he will not enjoy the luxury of replaying the spring encounter with the odds now entirely in his favour. Liverpool, too, have moved on. With Fernando Morientes ineligible, Benitez had no obvious focal point to his attack in the semi-finals, but now Peter Crouch will be in view whenever an advancing midfielder raises his head.

Since the erratic Milan Baros was sold to Aston Villa, Liverpool do admittedly appear to have been lacking the type of attacker who even gets into positions from which he might miss. A lack of service from the right of midfield exacerbates the problem, but Benitez has still improved the team.

The Liverpool manager is probably right to feel that Jose Reina, despite his failings in Saturday's 2-2 draw at Birmingham, supplies a reliability in goal that was not associated with Jerzy Dudek. He will miss, however, the strength and passing of the injured Mohamed Sissoko but knows that Hamann will be a worthy alternative.

It is forgotten, too, that victory over Chelsea in the Anfield semi-final came despite the harsh suspension of Xabi Alonso, who will be around to smooth out any kinks in Liverpool's play tonight. The reputation of Mourinho's footballers and their current record puts the onus on them to take the initiative tonight, but such situations appeal to the patient and crafty Benitez.