Liverpool face crucial Champions League clash

Jamie Carragher insists it would not be a disaster if Liverpool were knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage.

After two defeats and a draw in their first three fixtures, Liverpool need to beat Besiktas at Anfield to maintain any realistic chance of qualifying for the knockout stages.

Even if Liverpool win, they might need to beat Porto and Marseille in their final two matches to go through.

Carragher said: "We aim to win all three, but let's concentrate on beating Besiktas first before we start thinking about what we do in the last game in Marseille.

"We must win this one, then move on to beat Porto. That's two home games and our crowd will play a big part, then we will think about what we must do in Marseille.

"We are not worrying too much about what happens if we do not qualify, and I don't even see that as a disaster. It's just football, but if we don't get through we could qualify for the Uefa Cup and we would be confident going into that."

Meanwhile, Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez claims there is no financial pressure to reach the last 16, even though club owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have invested millions in the team.

Carragher added: "Obviously we want to be in the Champions League, we want to play against the best and show we can compete against them. But we have done that anyway in the last couple of years or so with two final appearances.

"If it happens we have to get on with it. It would be a disappointment, not a disaster, and it would still be a massive season ahead for us with genuine targets."

© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.

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