It will be a wonderful occasion for the Liverpool faithful to once again witness some of their legends ply their trade and do what they have done over the years to make the club reach where they are today.
Liverpool Legends play an exhibition match against Australian Legends on Thursday at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney.
From Steven Gerrard to Jamie Carragher, and Ian Rush to Luis Garcia, it will be a euphoric moment for the Reds fans to once again relive the superstars on the football pitch. Gerrard will be captaining the side, while Gerard Houllier, who coached the Reds to several titles during his reign, will be the manager for this match.
"When you've got that red shirt on and that armband on you've got a job to do," Gerrard, who left the Anfield side last year, following an brilliant 17-year long career, said ahead of the game. "Yes it's a friendly match and it's going to be a great occasion but when you are a footballer it's instilled in you to win, it's inside and I want to come away from Australia a winner, as simple as that.
"[The dressing room] will be noisy, it will be banter, it will be relaxed and it will be fun, but when the game starts people will play the way they played in their careers."
Gerrard, who currently plays for LA Galaxy in the MLS, has been the flagbearer for Liverpool for a number of seasons. He has won the FA Cup, the UEFA Champions League, the League Cup, the UEFA Cup, among others with the Reds, along with plenty of individual awards. However, what has irked Gerrard and football fans over the years is that the midfield maestro was never able to win the Premier League with the club.
But that doesn't take anything away anything from the legend that he is. However, does Gerrard himself actually feel he is worth being called a Liverpool legend? "I would never call myself one or see myself as one [Reds legend], but it is nice to look back and see that you have contributed to the history of this football club and that's what it's all about," the former LFC skipper added.
It will be a treat for the Aussie fans to watch the legends of the game in action once more. For the home team, Stan Lazaridis, Robbie Slater, as well as former Manchester United custodian Mark Bosnich will be among the big names.
Squad list: Liverpool Legends: Players: Steven Gerrard, Robbie Fowler, Ian Rush, Jamie Carragher, John Arne Riise, Dietar Hamann, Luis Garcia, Gary McAllister, Patrik Berger, Bruce Grobbelaar, Jason McAteer, Vladimir Smicer, Stephane Henchoz, Sander Westerveld, John Aldridge, Fabio Aurelio, Phil Babb, Igor Biscan.
Coach: Gerard Houllier.
Australian Legends: Players: Tony Vidmar, Tony Popovic, Brett Emerton, Alex Tobin, Robbie Slater, Mark Bosnich, Craig Foster, Mile Sterjovski, Jason Culina, Scott Chipperfield, Stan Lazaridis, Josip Skoko, Ned Zelic, Ante Milicic, Zeljko Kalac, Craig Moore, Steve Corica, David Zdrilic.
Coach: Graham Arnold.
Liverpool Legends vs Australian Legends schedule:
Date: Thursday, 7 January.
Time: 7:30 pm local time (8 am GMT, 3 am EST, 1:30 pm IST).
Venue: ANZ Stadium in Sydney, Australia.
