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James Milner said that the European experience and Liverpool's style of play gave them all the confidence to beat Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals.
Liverpool will face Ernesto Valverde's side on May 1st and 7th, after confirming his place in the final square for the second consecutive year against Porto on Wednesday. Barcelona, and Lionel Messi in particular, have won the victory against Manchester United 24 hours earlier and are also looking for a double in the league and in the Champions League.
Liverpool are at a different level of United, with 21 points separating them in the Premier League. They will also play the return leg at Anfield. Milner believes that the team's expertise in Europe, once again evident in its 4-1 victory at Estádio do Dragão, guarantees that the elected Spanish champion will not be afraid of the leaders of the Premier League.
"We can beat Barça but we know it will be very difficult," said the midfielder. "I went twice in the round of 16 with [Manchester] City and did not get the good result, so luckily this is the third time I'm lucky.
"It's a solid team and it's a tough place, but I do not think they'll have played too many teams in the same style as us. It is going to be difficult. They are a team full of individual talent and a great team. Camp Nou is a fantastic stadium and a fantastic place to play in a great atmosphere. It will be very difficult and we will have to be at our best, but hard for them too.
"In the last two seasons, with the teams we beat in the Champions League, we should go with confidence no matter how difficult the situation is. I'm sure you can see in this year's race and in games where things have not gone well that we have experience. We have already been there and know how to get results. "
After a 6-1 defeat against Porto, Liverpool's visits to Cardiff on Sunday were threatened by relegation, not the reunion between Luis Suárez and Philippe Coutinho.
While Liverpool secured a comfortable victory in the Champions League, rivals City, suffered a terrible late exit against Tottenham. Milner does not think the contrasting results will necessarily give Liverpool an edge this weekend.
"You look at our scoreboard and you think it was an easy match but it was not, it was very difficult," he said. "We all had our hands on the bridge and we were defending. A little energy came out of the legs and that 's why I said we had to recover.
"As for the other game, only the city knows how they will react. It's disappointing for them and they will do everything for the last games of the season. We will keep an eye on it, but all we can do is influence our games.
"They are Premier League champions for a reason and I am sure that they will react as champions. They will go again. But the Spurs will be on their guard and will want to return after getting such a good result. "
Before the game in Porto, Milner said Liverpool needed trophies to be among the best teams in the world and admitted that it might require a perfect finish of the campaign to achieve this ambition.
Aged 33, he said, "That's what we will have to do. That's what we will try to do. There will be a lot of tough games and it will not be easy. We are used to a game every three days and when the pressure rises at the end of the season, it may take a little more. But the team was fantastic in terms of managing the problem. "
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