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Brendan Rodgers has urged his Liverpool FC players to grab the opportunity to write their names in Anfield folklore on Wednesday night.

The Reds face the biggest test of Rodgers’ reign when they take on holders Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Carlo Ancelotti’s star-studded line up are strong favourites but Rodgers believes this is a contest which will bring the best out of his side.

Liverpool’s illustrious history is packed full of momentous European nights – such as the 4-0 thrashing of Real in 2009 – and Rodgers is keen to add another cherished triumph to the five-time winners’ collection.

“These are the types of games that are talked about for years and years,” Rodgers said.

“Steven Gerrard’s two goals he scored in that last game against Real are still talked about.

“The performances in the big games, if you make a big contribution that is what the supporters remember.

“We are going into the game on the back of some up and down performances but underpinning all the great football last season was a spirit and character in the group and that is serving us well at the moment.

“The players will go into the game to get a result for the team and what can come from that is legendary status.”

Rodgers believes the Reds will be energised by a spine-tingling Anfield atmosphere.

It promises to be a new experience for the likes of Simon Mignolet, Alberto Moreno, Dejan Lovren, Jordan Henderson, Joe Allen, Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho, but their manager expects them to flourish against the Spanish giants.

“Games like this in this year’s competitions will serve as great experience for the young players,” Rodgers said.

“We are are a very young side. There were only two teams in the Premier League that were younger than us last season - one was Aston Villa, who almost got relegated, and Cardiff, who did. That tells me how well the young players did.

“This season they have got some big games and experiences ahead so there is no doubt this will help them. It will be a special night for them and no matter the result it will make them better players.

“Since the weekend there’s been real excitement at playing in this incredible match. I don’t need to get them going.

“It’s going to be great for everyone. I’m really looking forward to the ambience and atmosphere in the stadium. I’m sure it will draw a great performance from the players.”

Rodgers knows the secret on Wednesday night will be ensuring that Liverpool combine attacking intent with tactical discipline.

Trying to sit back and simply contain the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, James Rodriguez and Karim Benzema would be futile.

The Reds will be bold but a balance must be struck as they look to ensure they don’t leave themselves exposed defensively.

“They are probably the best attacking team in the world,” Rodgers said.

“You certainly can’t go gung ho against them and open up the whole pitch, not when their main strength is their counter attack.

“At times they have the back four, two midfield players and then keep four players up the field so you have to respect that.

“You look at your own performance and ways you can hurt them but you also respect the opponent. They have players of great quality who play high up the field. You have to be good in areas of your game to nullify that.

“We will look to really impose our style at lots of moments in the game but you have to still pay attention to the speed of them on the counter attack.”

With Mamadou Sakho still unavailable having only just recovered from a thigh injury, Rodgers is set to keep faith with the centre-back combination of Martin Skrtel and Dejan Lovren.

Alberto Moreno will replace Jose Enrique at left-back with Glen Johnson likely to be preferred to Javier Manquillo on the other flank.

Liverpool’s frailties at the back were exposed by QPR last weekend but Rodgers believes facing Real could actually suit his players better.

“The focus gets put on the defence and the keeper, but for us we have to win, lose and perform as a team. It’s about the collective,” Rodgers said.

“It’s a different type of game. QPR was a tight stadium, 4-4-2, quite direct, long balls and at times we struggled with it.

“But now we’ve got technical opponents who like to get it wide, pass the ball into the box and play on the counter so it’s a different style and for many of our players it will probably suit them more.”

Further forward, Joe Allen and Philippe Coutinho are both in contention to start having impressed after coming off the bench at Loftus Road.

Coutinho scored the Reds’ second before creating the winner – welcome signs that he’s getting back to his best after a torrid start to the campaign.

Rodgers knows the little Brazilian has the star quality to hurt Ancelotti’s men.

“I thought young Phil was outstanding when he came on,” he said. “He looked bright, energetic, and him and Joe Allen gave us a technical lift in the game.

“That’s important for games at this level. You have to be technically gifted in order to dominate games.

“I didn’t start young Phil because he had such a long trip away with Brazil. But the intention was to bring him on at some stage if needed.

"He came on and made a big contribution with a wonderful goal and his pass was sublime for the winning goal. He’s a young player who has had a difficult start to the season but there is no doubting his qualities.”

How Liverpool could do with Mario Balotelli breaking off the shackles and showcasing his ability. The Italian striker has scored just once in nine appearances for the club so far.

“It’s a game Mario is keen to perform in,” Rodgers added.

“He was in the positions to miss at the weekend. He scored a terrific goal in the last Champions League game here so he will be really motivated to perform well. He has got experience of scoring in the big games.”

The Reds boss makes no excuses for insisting that success domestically is more important than Europe this season. A top-four finish is paramount as Rodgers looks to ensure that nights like this became a regular occurrence.

“Our priority will be the league,” he said. “For us to be a sustainable club at this level we have to make sure we are in the top four.

“But that doesn’t put any less significance on this game. Big preparation has gone into this in order to ensure we qualify.

“If we didn’t come out of the group we would be bitterly disappointed. It’s a competition that I want to be in for a long, long time with Liverpool.”