Soccer: Owen can be key to Liverpool's Euro hopes

Gerard Houllier has vowed to meet fire with fire when Liverpool confront the power of Porto in the Uefa Cup quarter-final on Thursday night.

The Anfield chief intends to hit Porto with his all English-strike force in the Estadio das Antas.

That can only mean that Michael Owen will once again get a pivotal role against the powerful Portuguese outfit.

Houllier said: "They have great European experience, and they play a particular way which is very attacking. It is a system that suits them.

"But we have our strength in our strike force. I always feel that the first game in a two-legged tie is the most important, it determines what happens after.

"If we can attack and steal a goal, that will set us up nicely. I prefer to go for goals, it is how we have played in all our away legs in Europe. We have a very good strike force and I will always prefer to attack."

That clearly means that Houllier will play two of his three front-line attackers, selecting from Owen, Robbie Fowler and Emile Heskey.

And once again the spotlight could fall on Owen. The two-goal hero of Rome could be asked to step onto the big stage and once again be called upon to show his international quality.

Liverpool have performed magnificently in away legs in Athens against Olympiakos, in Rome against the Serie A leaders, also in Liberec and Bucharest in earlier rounds.

Tha attacking policy will again be the key to Liverpool's long-term survival in a competition many felt was beyond them.

But despite a current dip in form - three games without a win against Roma, the Worthington Cup final when it took penalties to beat Birmingham, and then a tired defeat at Leicester - Houllier's instincts are not to rely on defence.

He said: "We have had a few problems scoring recently, but that can be put right."

He added: "My team have proved a few critics wrong. Now they know they are just four games away from a European final and that will drive them on.

"I don't like making excuses, but they were tired at Leicester and it showed. Four games in 11 days, and then international calls, took its toll. Peter Taylor said to me afterwards that he was pleased to be playing us after the schedule my players had been through. But we have had time to recover and regenerate - we will be ready for this one."

Liverpool are without Jari Litmanen, whose calf injury will have eased in time for him to be involved at Tranmere on Sunday in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

But Sander Westerveld and Stephane Henchoz have recovered from minor knocks and will play.