Champions League: Xavier confident despite draw

Abel Xavier believes Galatasaray will be frightened of what they saw from Liverpool’s attacking armoury as they head for a critical Champions League showdown in Istanbul next week.

The giant Portuguese defender was part of a frustrated Liverpool side which dominated their Group B crunch at Anfield, wasted a host of chances, and ended with a 0-0 draw that keeps qualification for the quarter-finals on a knife-edge.

And Xavier emerged from his European debut for Liverpool prepared to march straight into a showdown with his former club Everton and a Champions League trial in Turkey, all in four days.

The results from both matches will have a huge impact on Liverpool’s chase for glory at home and abroad, with the domestic title race as close as the Anfield club’s battle to get through the toughest group in the Champions league competition.

Xavier, however, believes all is still possible.

He said: ‘‘We still have a realistic chance of going through. If we keep playing the same way for the next two months, we can win anything we want.’’

Liverpool will certainly get the ‘‘Welcome to Hell’’ treatment next Tuesday as they face what is always a searching examination at the daunting Ali Sami Yen stadium, a cauldron of passion, flares and fury which has seen only one other English side win there.

Chelsea managed it in 1999, but Manchester United, twice, and Leeds have failed in one of the most ferocious stadiums in Europe.

The only other English side to win in Turkey against Galatasaray was West Brom in the UEFA Cup of ’78-79, but that away leg for the Baggies was played in Izmir.

Now Liverpool, having to contend with the collision with Everton in the Mersey derby battle on Saturday, know they must surely now win in Turkey if they are to retain any realistic chance of making the last eight in their debut season in the Champions League.

Xavier, though, was confident that Liverpool could defy the odds.

He said: ‘‘We are capable of winning in Istanbul. We showed we can upset them and create danger and in Istanbul we can win the game.

‘‘We are confident of doing well in Turkey, we have the right attitude and approach.

‘‘Galatasaray saw what we can do in the first game and how many chances we created, they will respect us. Our only complaint about the first game was the result.

‘‘First we have another big game against Everton on Saturday and then we are off to Turkey, but I believe we can handle that situation.

‘‘We believe we can still go to the next round of the Champions League, it’s very tight, but we can do it.’’

Liverpool still have to win a match in this second-phase group, are bottom of the table with two points, and have to triumph either in Istanbul or Barcelona’s Nou Camp to avoid crashing out before the knock-out stage.

You could hardly pick two tougher away grounds to visit and need to produce a win from.

Xavier, though, believes anything is possible. He added: ‘‘Mathematically we still have a good chance.

‘‘We must go to Barcelona and Galatasaray now and play Roma at home, that’s three big games and you can never judge what will happen.

‘‘But if we keep playing the same way for the next two months, we can win anything we want.’’

Xavier was including, no doubt, the Premiership in that equation.

And after smashing 10 goals in their previous two league games and losing just two of their last 13 in all competitions, Liverpool will be going into their home clash with Everton - whose boss Walter Smith was on a spying mission with his assistant Archie Knox at Anfield on Wednesday - in upbeat mood.

For Xavier it will be a rapid re-acquaintance with his Everton colleagues having moved across the city to Liverpool for £800,000 only three weeks ago.

‘‘It’s a big game for everybody, not just me,’’ he said. ‘‘I just hope we can show the same focus against Everton as we showed against Galatasaray and then do the same in the return in Turkey.

‘‘Of course I’m looking forward to playing against my old team-mates. I enjoyed my time at Everton and I respect them.

‘‘Now I’m pleased to be at Liverpool and I can only think of it as another game that could take us nearer to winning the league, it’s so important.

‘‘I have settled at Liverpool very well. I have been made welcome and received well and made me feel wanted. I am trying now to repay that.’’

Apart from the failure to finish off the Turks at Anfield, Liverpool’s other problem revolves around Steven Gerrard’s fitness after the England youngster was carried off when he damaged his groin stretching for the ball.

Caretaker boss Phil Thompson insisted afterwards the damage was not as bad as it first looked, and the midfielder will have intensive treatment to try to get him fit for both Everton and Galatasaray matches.

Dietmar Hamann, Liverpool’s man of the match, said: ‘‘It will be a blow for us if he is ruled out or has to miss a few games and we are just hoping it’s not too serious.

‘‘But if he isn’t available then we have other players who can come in and do the job. That’s why we have such a big squad here.’’

Liverpool’s rookie goalkeeper Chris Kirkland could well find first choice Jerzy Dudek back against Everton and for the return in Turkey after recovering from a groin injury of his own.

But the England Under-21 youngster can be pleased with his own performance in keeping Liverpool’s fourth successive clean sheet.

He said: ‘‘We played well, but it was just one of those games when the ball wouldn’t go in for us. Sometimes that happens.

‘‘We were the better side and we created some good chances. But you have to say their goalkeeper Ali Mondragon played well and made some good saves.

‘‘Galatasaray made it tough for us and you have to give them credit for that. They got men behind the ball and tried to make life difficult.

‘‘But we have nothing to fear going over there. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy because their home record speaks for itself. It’s going to be very tough but we are good enough to get the right result.’’

And, reflecting on his Champions League debut, Kirkland added: ‘‘It was great to play the 90 minutes. I didn’t have too much to do, but I must admit it was pleasing to come off at the end having kept a clean sheet.’’