Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish says his side will not underestimate Carling Cup final opponents Cardiff City.
Dalglish’s side face the Championship outfit in the final at Wembley on Sunday, and will head into the match as heavy favourites to win their first trophy since the 2006 FA Cup.
But despite beating Chelsea and Manchester City on their way to the final, Dalglish said his side were no certainties to lift the trophy on Sunday.
“Everybody that’s involved with the football club will take great satisfaction (in playing the final), but it’s not a foregone conclusion – and we should not be getting our mindset thinking it is going to be like that,” Dalglish said.
“We’ll go there and play a team who have achieved every bit as much as we have in getting to the final. We’ll treat them with the utmost respect, as we have done against everybody we’ve played against.”
“We’ve got to the final, yes, but it’s not as if there’s no-one there that is going to try and win it. Cardiff have a great expectation and hope to win it as well.”
It will be Liverpool’s first final since losing to AC Milan in the 2007 Champions League decider, but Dalglish said he did not think his players would be overawed by the situation or by being favourites.
“There is always going to have to be a favourite, but you only get out of the match what you put into it,” he said.
“Cardiff have done fantastically well to get there. I don’t think it would be a shock if everybody thought we were going to be favourites, but we’ve got to overcome Cardiff on the day.”
“As we know favourites have lost before, but not too often.”
Liverpool are also on course to reach the final of the FA Cup after beating Brighton 6-1 in the quarter-finals on Sunday, and Dalglish said it showed the club was heading in the right direction.
“We’ll continue to try and progress the club and move it forward,” he said. “We’ve moved on from where we were last year. Progression in the FA Cup, the final of the Carling Cup and four points behind fourth spot – this time last year we were nowhere near that.”
“There has been progress made, and off the pitch there has been a great deal of progress made as well in the fantastic support we’ve got from sponsors.”
“They (the fans) are excited. They are looking forward to it – everyone is looking forward to it.”
“You can just sense in and around the football club and the city that people are looking forward to it.”
Dalglish said he was fully expecting Daniel Agger and Craig Bellamy to be fit to play after they both missed Sunday’s win over Brighton.
