Gerrard: Quality displays will silence sceptics

Steven Gerrard will use Liverpool’s two Champions League matches against Chelsea to dispel any lingering doubts about where his loyalties lie after the two English clubs were drawn together in the group stage of the tournament.

The Liverpool captain had just picked up the UEFA award as the ’most valuable player’ of last season when he sat down to watch the reigning European champions drawn into the same group as reigning Barclays Premiership champions Chelsea, the club he came within an inch of signing for earlier this summer.

The scenario had seemed fated after Liverpool’s special dispensation to defend their trophy meant they were denied the ’country protection’ awarded to the other clubs in the draw.

Not only had Liverpool knocked Chelsea out of the tournament in two tense semi-final legs last season, but Gerrard has now twice flirted with joining Jose Mourinho only to jilt him at the last minute in order to remain faithful to his Red roots.

Group G, along with Spanish side Real Betis and Belgian club Anderlecht, looks the toughest of the lot.

Arsenal should sail through qualification in Group B against Ajax, Sparta Prague and Swiss minnows FC Thun, but Manchester United will face a stiffer test against Everton’s conquerors Villarreal, Lille and Benfica – the Portuguese side they beat in the 1968 final to claim their first European crown.

But Liverpool v Chelsea will dominate attention – the first meeting on September 28 is only five days before their Premiership clash at Anfield.

Gerrard conceded: “Once a few teams came out of the pot, it seemed inevitable we were going to draw Chelsea. It’s going to be a tough week.

“A lot of people are going to be talking about what happened in the summer when these games come about but for me the most important thing is that the team play well and I’ve got to make sure that I’m up for it individually myself.

“Two big performances would be nice from myself.

“It’s going to be really tough as they are a fantastic team with a special manager so let’s hope both of us can qualify from the group.

“The way we played in the Champions League last year we don’t need to fear anyone. We need to show them respect, but it’s a very tricky group so we just have to make sure we progress.

“I’m sure they do want revenge but we want to beat them as well. Ideally we didn’t want anyone from England as these are very tricky games but it’s done now and we are just looking forward.”

Gerrard is also keen to link up again with Michael Owen, who has expressed his desire to return from Real Madrid to Liverpool.

He said: “Fingers crossed. That’s obviously up to the Liverpool manager but everyone knows what I want.”

Mourinho believes both Chelsea and Liverpool have been given a tough draw.

He said: “This is a very dangerous group for us. Not because of Liverpool, as all the teams in the top group were dangerous, no matter who we got. All of them were big teams with a big reputation.

“No, this group is dangerous because in the third and fourth seeds there were some smaller teams, but we got Anderlecht and Betis.

“Anderlecht have a big history in Europe with much experience of the Champions League.

“It is the debut for Betis but they are very strong, one of the best teams in Spain, so this becomes a dangerous group for Chelsea.”

Real Betis in particular are a threat to both English sides progressing to the knockout stages. Fourth in La Liga last season, they disposed of Monaco in qualifying and have quality players in Spanish winger Joaquin and Brazilian striker Luis Oliveira.

United also have Spanish opposition in Villarreal, whose South American influences helped them to a best-ever third place in the Primera Liga last season.

Coached by former River Plate boss Manuel Pellegrini, their chief dangerman is Argentina playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme, and United’s former striker Diego Forlan – bought by Alex Ferguson for £7m (€10.3m) and sold for £1m (€1.5m) - looks a completely different player from the Old Trafford version and finished top scorer in Europe last season.

Arsenal will have no excuses if they fail to make the knockout stages. FC Thun’s qualification is something of a football fairytale – they normally play to crowds of 6,000 while neither Ajax nor Sparta Prague are the forces of old.

Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein said: “We take nothing for granted, all the teams are here because they deserve to be.

“We have got to progress and it’s important we should in this competition.

“We have had success on the domestic stage over the last nine years and with that success comes expectation.”

Celtic’s nemesis Artmedia Bratislava will make a rapid return to Glasgow after being drawn in Group H with Rangers. The Scottish side will also meet Inter - and have the advantage of playing in the San Siro behind closed doors – and Porto.

Last season’s semi-finalists AC Milan and PSV Eindhoven are in Group A along with Schalke and Fenerbahce, while Real Madrid should progress from Group F against Gerard Houllier’s Lyon, Rosenborg and Olympiacos.