Luis Suarez on the Cup final

The Reds take on Championship outfit Cardiff City in their first appearance at the new-look national stadium later today, with Suarez insisting the Reds are in the mood to secure the club's first trophy since 2006.

Central to Liverpool's impressive results of late has been the form of their front two, with both Carroll and Suarez among the goals as the partnership has gone from strength to strength.

Suarez admits they have taken time to fully gel as a front two, but he now feels they are ready to shoot the Reds towards silverware.

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"It's very different when you come to a club and you have a different strike partner with a different style of play," Suarez told Liverpoolfc.tv. "I think what happened at first with Andy and I is that we would be making the same type of runs off the ball down the same channel, and maybe communication was a bit difficult as well, but I think that now, over the last few games we've played together, we've done our very best to combine well. We both know that we can help the side by doing our jobs as well as we can.

"You only have to look at what has happened over the last few games, as I think it's been the best we've played together. We've been trying to link up with each other all the time. Everybody knows just what a quality player Andy is.

"He's a top, top player and another reason why things weren't going for him at first was his injury. It's not easy to play through the pain barrier, especially for a striker, and it's also hard to build up an understanding of how your teammates play and exactly what your new manager wants. Now he is showing us his best form and exactly what he can do."

Both Suarez and Carroll were on the mark for the Reds during last weekend's 6-1 thrashing of Brighton in the Carling Cup as Kenny Dalglish's men warmed up for their Wembley appearance in style.

"To win in the style that we did against Brighton just before a final is a sign that the team is in good shape and playing with a lot of desire and that we are in decent form," said Suarez. "But you have to remember that a final is a final and it's a one-off game and that Cardiff will be no different to ourselves, playing hard, like it was our last ever game, because finals are always played out very differently to other games.

"Of course it's important for any player, especially a striker, to have been on the mark twice in the last two games, but I'm more interested in helping the team as much as I possibly can. It happened to be both Andy and I who managed to score against Brighton, and that's good of course that both strikers are on target in a game, but we mustn't forget that there are other key forwards at the club, like Dirk and Craig Bellamy, and all the other players who can feature there."

While many within the Liverpool squad will be experiencing Wembley for the first time this afternoon, Suarez himself is no stranger to the hype surrounding a major final as he helped Uruguay to Copa America glory last summer.

"You do prepare differently for games like this one," he added. "The days almost seem longer as you can't wait for the game to come around, but you just have to try and put it out of your mind, and I think the mental approach needed as kick-off comes around is to put everything else out of your mind and focus on what you can do out there on the park. In the days leading up to the game you just have to focus on what you can best do to help the team, and not to try too hard and think that everything depends just on you, because you win trophies as a group, not as individuals.

"You get a lot more nervous energy going into a final like this, more so than in other games, and that spurs you on even more. As I said, these are one-off games and you have to try so much harder as a result There are no second chances and all you have time for is to go all out at 100 per cent throughout the game.

"I'm really excited at the prospect of playing at Wembley for the first time. It's not easy to get the chance to play in stadiums like that. Playing there in a final with Liverpool, it's what you dream about as a kid when you first start playing football and now that I've got that opportunity, I'm going to do my best to enjoy the occasion.

"They are team who are now in the second tier but who throughout their history have had spells in the top flight. They've proved themselves and their character by putting out some good sides on this cup run and they have some very good players. We know that we can't afford to relax for a single moment because we know that they won't be doing that. I think both teams have to enjoy the occasion because it's a final and then it's a case of let the best team win.

"I think we need to play as a team and to try and do the things that we've been doing over the last few games. I think it's important to realise that the result will not depend upon any individual but on the group as a whole. That's what wins you trophies.

He added: "It's now six years since Liverpool won their last trophy and so the fans have been waiting for this day for a while, thinking about that next trophy. So it would be really nice to play well and get the right result and win it for them. But we shouldn't build up too much pressure on ourselves now by thinking about what might happen. Let's wait for the game to come around and then do our best to give them something to cheer about and hope that when it finishes we'll be able to celebrate together..."

And has the Kop's number seven been dreaming of scoring the Wembley winner?

"Of course, any player would love to score a goal in a cup final but if we win in the 90^th minute with a goal from Pepe or Martin Skrtel, or anyone, I'd be happier than any of the other lads. It doesn't matter who is on the scoresheet as long as Liverpool can manage to lift the trophy.

"I think that winning a trophy as we approach the end of February would be important for what lies ahead in the remainder of the season. We've got vital games coming up where we need to keep our hopes of a Champions League place alive. I think we're up there and so a victory here would provide a positive boost in confidence."