In a stadium which is a paean to the architect of one of English football's greatest humiliations, Liverpool will seek to avoid one of their own tonight.

Not an easy task given that they are not in control of their already half-lost pursuit of Champions League football.

Ferenc Puskas, captain of Hungary when the Magic Magyars taught England such a lesson at Wembley in 1953, scored seven times in two European Cup finals.

He, unlike Jamie Carragher, did not have to extol the virtues of what was once called the Uefa Cup.

But in his attempt last night to put some perspective on Liverpool's one win in 10, Carragher suggested Liverpool might have to forget the good times for a while.

“You talk in the dressing room when things aren't going well,” he said.

“You are wondering when the feel good factor will come back and I have mentioned that time to some of the lads. I've spoken to my dad and he said we've had five years of winning big trophies, getting to another Champions League final, going close in the league and that this might just be a difficult season.

It might be a grind and you have to tough it out, get your head down and fight. That's not just football. It's the same in life. It's no different for us as footballers. You have to keep going and show character.”

Though elimination from the Champions League for the first time in Benitez's tenure would be a heavy blow to a club currently seeking to promote itself as an elite footballing force to the prospective new equity partners on whose financial future it depends, there is a precedent of Champions League elimination being lined with silverware, as well as a silver lining, at Anfield.

It was Carragher who once said that being pipped to third place by Leeds United in 2000 “really did prove to be a blessing in disguise” for Liverpool, whose triple the following year included the Uefa Cup final triumph against Alaves.

Liverpool could also earn as much money by doing so again as by progressing to the quarter finals of the Champions League.

Werder Bremen's income from winning the Champions League's “ugly kid brother,” as Steven Gerrard describes it, was greater than Bayern Munich two-match sojourn in the knock-out stage, last season.

As Carragher said yesterday, there are attractive sides ahead if the pursuit of a place in the Europa League final in Hamburg's Volksparkstadion on May 12 is to be Liverpool's destiny.

Bayern Munich, CSKA Moscow, Marseilles, Atletico Madrid and even Barcelona might fall out of the Champions League too, while Benfica, Sporting Lisbon — and, of course, Everton — are among the Europa League group stage sides who seem likely to progress.

It is not an outcome Benitez was remotely willing to contemplate last night and where there is life there is hope, as far as his side and this season's Champions League are concerned.

We will soon know whether Lyons are prepared to make a fist of the game in Stadio Artemio Franchi that Fiorentina must win to qualify at Liverpool's expense.

Le Figaro was one of several newspapers pointing out yesterday that winning Group E (which Lyons will do by at least drawing in Florence) is a higher priority than losing and thus avoiding such formidable knock-out performers as Liverpool in the second stage.

Second place in the group stage for the past two seasons has seen Lyons draw Manchester United and Barcelona — and lose.

The most challenging task tonight will be to focus on the task in hand and put the other game out of mind.

“We just have to concentrate on what we can affect and make sure we do our job. Nobody is thinking about the other game

yet because we have to make sure we win first,” said Carragher, whose own return to form has illustrated that he is still the first to stand up and be counted.

He also likened the desperate recent run which has seen Liverpool win one in 10 having raced to seven wins in their first nine fixtures in all competitions, to the 2002/3 season when they almost set a Premier League record of going 13 games unbeaten at the start of the season.

“Obviously a lot was expected of us then and it didn't work out. We went 11 games in the league without a win at one point and we went out of the Champions League early. That experience puts things into perspective,” added Carragher.

“Everyone thinks all we have at Liverpool is great times, but there are ups and downs. Both Stevie (Gerrard) and I know that. You get through it by facing up to it.”

Key battles: Debrecen v Liverpool

Adamo Coulibaly v Daniel Agger

Agger is expected to play despite needing five stitches in a head wound following the weekend game against Manchester City at Anfield

French striker Coulibaly — Debrecen's top scorer this term — can produce on the big stage, having scored against Fiorentina in the Hungarians' 5-2 defeat at Fiorentina earlier this month.

Liverpool must keep a clean sheet and Agger will be expected to keep Debrecen's forwards quiet.

Zoltan Kiss v Steven Gerrard

Despite still not being fully fit after his groin problems, Gerrard will be the player Liverpool will look to now.

Kiss, 30 did not look out of his depth when Liverpool struggled to a 1-0 win in the group's opening match.

Gerrard looked much more like his usual self against Man City although he did tire. If Liverpool are to survive in the Champions League this season their skipper will be the key and the Reds need a huge game from him tonight.

Laszlo Bodnar v Yossi Benayoun

With Ryan Babel ruled out, Benayoun will be the man entrusted with providing width and the attacking impetus from the left wing.

Right-back Bodnar, who has experience playing against the Reds, will find himself facing arguably Liverpool's best player over recent weeks.

Israel star Benayoun likes to cut in off his line, and that could expose Bodnar, who could well find Reds skipper Gerrard drifting out wide too. A big challenge for Bodnar.