Henderson targets Bernabeu opportunity
The prospect of crossing swords with Champions League holders Real Madrid at their iconic Santiago Bernabeu home is an opportunity for Liverpool to show their quality, according to Jordan Henderson.
Shortly after Brendan Rodgers and his entire first-team squad had concluded a two-hour flight to Spain on Monday afternoon, the manager and vice-captain were whisked to the stadium to field questions from the gathered press.
A range of subjects under discussion included the Reds' frustrating defeat by Newcastle United jat the weekend, the reversal against Carlo Ancelotti's Real thoroughbreds last month and the challenge of progressing from Group B.
Throughout the back-and-forth conversation, Henderson's belief in what Liverpool are capable of was continual, with regular reiterations of the confidence being maintained within the camp and talk of a chance to shine totonight.
"It will be a tough test for us, but a great opportunity as well to go and show what we can do," said the midfielder. "It's a big game, but we're going into it with a view to getting something out of the game.
"We know how good Real Madrid are after playing in the first game at home - they have to a lot of quality. But, at the same time, so have we and we feel we have got good enough players and are a good enough team to come here and get a good result.
"We're playing in the Champions League, against the best teams in Europe - and Real Madrid are definitely that, especially at the moment as they are in a good run of form.
"We know that we need to be more ruthless and creative in the final third. That's what we've been working on and hopefully tonight we can do that. We'll continue to work on it in training and hopefully we can improve in that area."
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At the halfway stage, the section is tantalisingly poised; Real dominate the group with maximum points, while Liverpool, FC Basel and Ludogorets Razgrad each boast three points from their trio of fixtures.
Henderson sees a path for the Reds to reach the knockout stages of the competition, arguing that periods of the opening meeting with the Spaniards and the occasion on Tuesday evening can provide hope and impetus.
He continued: "I thought we started very well at home, we were nice and aggressive on the front foot and created one or two chances - but with the quality that they've got, they came up with an outstanding first goal.
"We were a little disappointed with the other two, to concede soft goals. We've got to go into this game with confidence, we're coming to such a brilliant stadium and we want to put on a good performance. It's a great opportunity to do that.
"It is a challenge because there are some very good teams in the group. But I feel we've got more than enough quality to go and win the games that we need to win and get out of the group. Hopefully we can do that."
Rodgers' charges have failed to find the target in both of their last two Barclays Premier League contests, following up a goalless draw at home to Hull City with a 1-0 loss at St James' Park.
Their No.14 candidly acknowledged the necessity for improvement, but pledged that morale remains high among the players, who he urged to approach the Bernabeu with aspiration, not apprehension.
"Especially at the weekend, it wasn't how we planned it to go," added the Englishman. "But there's still a lot of confidence in the group because we've got quality and we know that.
"We've got a lot of very good players and team spirit is still very high. Confidence isn't an issue. It's a massive opportunity for us as a team to show people how good we really are.
"We know we're not at our best yet but this is a great opportunity to show that we're still a top side and we've got great quality in the team. We just need to be a little bit more ruthless in the final third and hopefully that can start tonight."