Gerrard on Carra and that comeback

The midfielder also reflected on the impending retirement of teammate and friend Jamie Carragher. Read on for the best bits from Wednesday's chat.

On Jamie Carragher's final Merseyside derby...

Being a local lad, we feel the passion in the city. Jamie will be playing at the weekend, I think he'll be one of the first on the teamsheet because he has been brilliant since he has come back into the team. We're hoping to get a nice derby victory for Carra to remember because he'll always remember his last derby. I'm really close to Jamie on and off the pitch so it's a bit of an emotional time. He's going on to Sky and I'm sure he'll do a fantastic job for them.

On his testimonial...

We obviously wanted to try to provide opposition that the fans are going to enjoy and bring back some fond memories - not just for myself but for the supporters as well. That's why we ended up getting Olympiacos. It's Saturday, August 3 with kick-off at 2pm. The tickets have gone on sale today to season ticket holders, I think it's only fair that they get the first chance to get in there and see the game. Then they go to the general public tomorrow so I'm hoping that we can get a full house and everyone can enjoy the day as much as me and my family are going to enjoy it. I'm really looking forward to it.

Buy tickets for Gerrard's testimonial>>

On beating Olympiacos in 2004...

The end of the game was extraordinary. Once Rivaldo scored the free-kick, I'd be a liar if I said I didn't think we were going out and it was the end of our European journey. But with the Kop behind you, you've always got a chance - especially towards the latter stages of the game. Luckily enough for us, we scraped through.

At that stage of the game it's a last resort, a hit-and-hope moment and you're just hoping to try to get the best connection you can. More often than not, they fly over the bar. I caught one really sweet and I knew as soon as it left my foot it had a great chance. Those European nights, when you get a full house and all the flags are out at Anfield, are special nights. Even when you're drawing or facing defeat, you always know up until the last kick of the game you've got a chance.

We were pushing and pushing for the last 20; I think Carra even threw in a Cruyff turn. I don't know what shocked me the most - the goal or Carra's Cruyff turn. Before the goal, even before the strike, I actually thought we were going out. Then one luckily enough just drops for you really nice on the edge of the box and you think: 'Here we go'. Even sitting in the dressing room after, none of the lads could believe we had actually scraped through. When Rivaldo scored the free-kick, we thought it was over.

I remember doing the media before that game and no-one really believed we could do it. The questions we were being asked were: 'If Olympiacos score, is it going to be an impossible task for the team?' My answer was: we'll keep going all the way until the end and keep fighting until the last whistle. That's what we did. I got a lot of credit from that game but the other lads who scored the goals before me were really important. The substitutions on that night were magnificent by Rafa - Sinama-Pongolle and Neil Mellor played a big part as well. It was a fantastic team performance; we could have easily laid down at 1-0 and given up, but we didn't - we kept going until the end.