JC: Suarez will keep me awake at night
Jamie Carragher explained why he cannot wait to don his boots once again later this month and lead out his squad in Liverpool's All-Star charity match.
The former Reds defender will be joined by the likes of Pepe Reina, Alvaro Arbeloa, Luis Garcia, Dirk Kuyt and Didier Drogba in taking on a Steven Gerrard XI at Anfield on March 29.
In opposition alongside Gerrard will be luminaries such as Luis Suarez, Fernando Torres, Xabi Alonso and Thierry Henry.
A whole host of other stars are set to take part from Liverpool's past, present and future, as well as players from other clubs.
After hosting a press conference to preview the game at Anfield on Thursday, Carragher sat down with Liverpoolfc.com and outlined why he is relishing a return to playing in front of the Kop, but admitted the prospect of facing Suarez and Torres may give him one or two sleepless nights...
Jamie, tell us how excited you are to be involved in this game?
I am. It's a great cause - anything for charity, the people of Liverpool will always get behind it. From a personal point of view, it's great to get the boots back on and hopefully get a 90-minute run-out at Anfield, although I don't know how long I'll last! I'm looking forward to it.
What about the team selection? How much of a scrap was there over players? It looks like Stevie got the captain's selection there...
He had first pick, so he was always in pole position. He is the captain of the club, so I had to bow to that. He's gone for the superstars - the galacticos. I've gone for a team that's probably more typical of my personality, but he's gone the other way. Those type of teams don't normally win things, you need people to put a shift in for you. He's gone for the Flash Harrys and the Big Time Charlies, so hopefully it'll come back to haunt him.
You didn't hold back on the video, did you?
No. No. I couldn't believe some of his selections. He got carried away and forgot what the game is about, so hopefully that'll tell on the day!
What about some of the names that are coming back that Liverpool fans will fondly remember? I think it illustrates they'll do anything to get back here and play in a game...
You look at Suarez and Torres - Steven's front two who I'll be up against...so there'll be a few sleepless nights! For players like that, they were brilliant for Liverpool and they didn't get that chance to say goodbye. Even the crowd never got the chance to say goodbye to them, so I think that's why they are so keen to come back and play at Anfield, see everyone and old friends. Alonso as well was in a similar boat; I think Dirk Kuyt was, too. There are four or five ex-Liverpool players there who deserve a great send-off, and I'm sure they'll get it.
When you've been out of the game for a while, will you be slightly more nervous about coming back to play?
Oh yes, yes of course! I try to keep fit and go the gym, but it's not much football - it's more boxing now. I'll have to play a little bit more five-a-side and maybe get an 11 versus 11 in there, and get the rustiness out of me - I am sure there will be some. When you come up against Suarez, you've got to be on your toes.
What about the game as a whole? It went on general sale on Wednesday and it's already sold out...
I think that shows the people of Liverpool in a great light. It's for charity and we all get behind that in the city. And there's also the fact they can see some old players coming back, great names who I'm sure they'd still love to see in a red shirt - the likes of Suarez and Alonso. It's a chance to see them again and we're not talking about when they're 40 or 50 years of age - they're still top players. They're still playing in the Champions League now. Suarez is one of the best players in world football, so to see him come back now after the season he gave Liverpool last year will be a massive bonus for everyone.
There are a couple of players coming here who you maybe wouldn't expect to see in those squads and some brave decisions for them...
John Terry and Drogba are here. They've had plenty of stick and know the rivalry with Chelsea - it's been going on over a decade. Credit to them, it's very brave of them to come back. Drogba is on my side, so I will look after him and John Terry can look after himself! I'm sure they may get a bit of stick, but I think people in the crowd will respect the fact they've come back, what it is about, and the fact they're still involved even though they may get stick.
The charities being supported are ones very close to Liverpool fans' hearts, and also yours and Steven's...
It's more of a charity game for the city. Charities that we all get behind in the city and we're all part of. We all know someone who has been into Alder Hey, whether it is one of our children, a family member or a friend. Everyone has been touched by that hospital. The new one is getting built now, so we're going to do as much as we can to try to help that along. Me and Stevie are both ambassadors for the hospital, so it's something we want to get behind. There are lots of different charities in Liverpool that will be helped by this game and that's why everyone has got behind it so much.
For Thierry Henry, it'll be a strange experience for him to come here and be cheered by Liverpool fans, but I think it's a place he's got a lot of affection for...
It is. I work with him on Sky now and I've spoken to him about it. He's excited - I think he's more excited about it than me! He's always said Anfield is his favourite away ground with the atmosphere it generates and how it helped us in games over the years. He's an avid watcher of football now and he's said that those big Champions League games he used to watch, there used to be a bit of jealousy that he never had that himself. He can't wait to play.
Tickets for the occasion at Anfield have completely sold out, but the match will be broadcast live and exclusively on LFCTV and LFCTV GO in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, and live around the world.
LFCTV: For anyone signing up to the service between 12.01am on March 28 and 11.59pm on March 29 (48 hours) via Sky or Virgin Media, LFC will donate £3 to the charities. LFCTV subscription is available in the UK and Ireland.
LFCTV GO: A £1, 24-hour pass is available for LFCTV GO. This will be on sale from 7pm on March 28 until 7pm on March 29 and will be valid for 24 hours from the point of purchase. This will give access to the live TV feed as well as on-demand video content. LFC will donate the full £1 to the charities. LFCTV GO is available worldwide.