Craig Bellamy has admitted that Liverpool would prefer Champions League qualification over victory in the Carling Cup final.
Bellamy’s side take on Championship club Cardiff City at Wembley on Sunday, in the first major final of the campaign.
Although Liverpool have not won silverware since 2006, Bellamy said a top-four finish in the Premier League is more important than triumphing over his former club.
“Would we choose Champions League over Carling Cup? I think we would. Would Cardiff choose entering the Premier League over the Carling Cup? I think they would as well,” Bellamy told reporters.
“They have promotion to go for, we have Champions League to go for. We’re still in the FA Cup. Both teams have got so much to play for this season.”
“Cup competitions are a big bonus really but we are looking at Champions League and maybe a win might help us and push us towards what we aim to achieve.”
There was some doubt whether the Welshman would be fit for the final, after he opted to have treatment on an injury which kept him out of last weekend’s 6-1 thrashing of Brighton in the FA Cup.
But Bellamy has stressed it was simply precautionary, with a busy run of fixtures coming up over the next couple of weeks in mind, and that he will be fit to face his childhood favourites at Wembley.
“I’m fine. We have a lot of games coming up, not just the Carling Cup final. I have an international game straight away, then Arsenal. It’s a busy run of games yet again so it was a case of getting it sorted now,” Bellamy said.
“I start training on Thursday and am fine at the moment.”
