Rickie Lambert says Reds' fans can make them 'unstoppable'

Tuesday 21 Oct 2014
Rickie Lambert says Anfield crowd can roar Liverpool to victory over Madrid
Rickie Lambert believes the Anfield crowd can roar his Liverpool team-mates to victory over Real Madrid.

The England striker watched from his parents’ house as the Reds demolished the Galacticos 4-0 in the Champions League on Merseyside five years ago – and now he is hoping to face Los Blancos in the flesh on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old is relishing the arrival of the European champions, and says Liverpool have two reasons not to be fazed by their opponents - and that's the players who will be wearing red and the supporters that will be backing them.

"This is Liverpool Football Club and this is where we are supposed to be," he told Liverpoolfc.com. "We've been away from the competition for a few years, but this squad definitely feels at home on nights like this. Games don't come bigger than against Real Madrid.

"On any given day, we can beat anyone, especially at home. When the fans are in full voice, which I know they will be against Real Madrid in the Champions League, we're unstoppable at times.

Lifelong Liverpool fan Lambert completed his dream move to the Reds in the summer after joining from Southampton, and he knows how powerful the crowd can be.

Rickie Lambert scored on his England debut against Scotland last August

"If [the fans] are in full voice on Wednesday, it doesn't matter who the opposition is, it will be very hard to take any points from us," insisted the forward.

"When they're on song, the fans lift the team more than any other supporters.

"I have seen first-hand what they can do and what level they can raise the players to. If they can get [to those levels] again, which I'm sure they will, it's only going to help us. It's going to lift us up that extra five or 10 per cent, which might win the game.

"It affects the team massively. And it affects the opposition as well. I can't describe it, but it just raises your game up and gives you that extra little bit, which you might not have had. The fans just manage to make that little bit of difference."

Lambert was part of Roy Hodgson’s squad for the Euro 2016 qualifiers earlier this month – winning his tenth cap in the 1-0 win in Estonia

Fellow Three Lions Glen Johnson, Raheem Sterling and Jordan Henderson are all expected to be involved in Brendan Rodgers' squad, as well as former England captain Steven Gerrard.

By Gary Stonehouse Staff Writer