It’s the semi-final stage of a competition Liverpool can win so it must be Chelsea again!

Since the summer of 2004, when Rafael Benitez took over as Liverpool manager and Jose Mourinho took over as Chelsea manager, the two have come face to face 5 times a season. As each team plays each other twice in the Premiership they should only be facing each other twice a year!

In the 2004/05 season they met twice in the league - with Chelsea winning both games, and the League Cup Final - with Chelsea again taking the spoils, before Liverpool finally beat Chelsea at the semi-final stage of the Champions League with Liverpool going on to lift the trophy. The 2005/06 season was more of the same. Chelsea won both league meetings, the teams met again in the Champions League group stages - both games ending 0-0, and Liverpool knocked Chelsea out of the FA Cup at the semi-final stage before going on to win that cup too.

This season has been more in Liverpool’s favour. It opened with Liverpool beating Chelsea to lift the Community Shield, then came a defeat to Chelsea in Stamford Bridge before a long awaited league victory in Anfield. It’s semi-final time again in the Champions League and the “luck” of the draw has paired Liverpool and Chelsea together for the third successive season.

Can Chelsea get a long awaited Champions League victory over Liverpool or is it to be more of the same for Benitez’s men? The answer, my friends, lies in the bold statement I made back when the draw was made. This is Liverpool’s year!

The tactical battle will be key in this tie as both teams must know each other by now. From Chelsea’s point of view the return to fitness of Joe Cole is all important. He not only has a good record against Liverpool but it allows Mourinho to return to his favoured 4-3-3 formation. Benitez has played 4-4-2 most of this season but he has toyed with the 4-5-1 that brought him success in 2005 recently and the team have shown they still know how to play it. Despite the rumoured injury concerns I don’t expect either side to be missing any key players, although Michael Essien is suspended for tonights leg.

Despite all the similarities to the 2005 tie, this is a very different encounter. This Chelsea team isn’t as confident/arrogant as the one that got knocked out back then. This Liverpool team is more confident than the one that won that tie and has shown the ability and character to win in Europe no matter what the level of opposition. I expect Liverpool to win this tie and I expect Liverpool to win the first leg in Stamford Bridge tonight.

A betting man should back John Arne Riise tonight after his goal in Barcelona was followed by his goal in Eindhoven. 1-0 Liverpool victory I’d say.

German referee Markus Merk will take charge of proceedings.

The game is live on Sky Sports 1 and RTÉ 2. Kick-off at 19:45.