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Rickie Lambert believes he and Mario Balotelli can help each other to end their Liverpool FC goal droughts.

Both strikers have endured a tough start to life at Anfield following summer moves.

England international Lambert hasn’t scored in nine appearances for the Reds, while Balotelli has netted just once in 11 outings.

However, there were promising signs of a rapport developing between them when Lambert came off the bench to play alongside the Italian for the final half hour of Saturday’s stalemate with Hull City.

Balotelli failed to grasp a glorious late chance to clinch maximum points but his team-mate is convinced the tide will soon turn for both of them.

“I think I can forge a partnership with any of the strikers here,” Lambert said.

“Sometimes it works better with two strikers, sometimes it doesn’t.

“I’ve come on this season on plenty of occasions either as a one or a two depending on the opposition.

“On Saturday it put more pressure on and we created more chances and it turned out to be a good formation.

“Obviously you want to hit the ground running and you want to score. The longer it goes on, sometimes the harder it is.

“It depends how you are mentally. Sometimes it’s hard to stay calm but I’m confident it will come.

“Mario is a good striker and we are all behind him. I thought he did well, held the ball up and did all the things he was asked to. He was unlucky with a couple of chances.

“Like myself, Mario just needs a goal - that is exactly what a striker needs. If it goes in off your backside it doesn’t really matter. Then the confidence flows.”

Lambert is set to make his third start of the campaign in tonight’s Capital One Cup tie with Swansea City at Anfield.

The former Southampton frontman knows the competition offers him the opportunity to stake a claim for more regular action.

“It is a chance to impress if I am playing and I hope I am,” he added.

“That is exactly what it is. It’s a chance to shine and do well and try to get on the scoresheet.

“I’m not going to go on about how it has gone for me so far here, I’m just looking forward to Tuesday and looking to get that win.”

Liverpool have struggled for form so far this term. The sale of Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge’s injury problems and the challenge of bedding in eight new signings has hampered progress.

However, victory tonight would put them into the quarter-finals of the Capital One Cup and in the Premier League they are just two points adrift of the Champions League spots.

“Obviously the fluency between every single department is not the way we want it,” Lambert added.

“But common sense means it’s not going to be the way we want it now. It’s building and it is getting better and we believe sooner rather than later we are going to be firing on all cylinders.

“At the minute it’s not quite there but we are not losing games, we are picking up points and we are not in the worst position.

“When we are firing on all cylinders we are in a position to start getting into the serious places.”