Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is looking forward to leading out the side at Wembley for the first time but has cautioned against complacency.
The Reds drew 2-2 with Barclays Premier League leaders Manchester City to book their place in the Carling Cup final 3-2 on aggregate.
They will face Cardiff on February 26 and Gerrard, who has never been to the home of English football with his hometown club, insists the npower Championship side will not be under-estimated.
"It's been too long for this club to not be in a major cup final, so it's nice to finally get there," said Gerrard, whose penalty helped end the Reds' 16-year Wembley absence.
"It's going to be superb for myself. I've led the boys out at Cardiff before but to lead them out at the new Wembley stadium is going to be a special occasion for myself.
"I'm sure we'll be massive favourites but we've got to show Cardiff respect. It's going to be the game of their lives. They're going to be right up for it. They are going to play at a level they've not played at before so it's important that we don't drop our standards. We've got to raise our game and if we do I'm sure we can lift the cup."



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Great to se Liverpool make the final prefer we play against them rather than the Mancd Hope City fans show Bellats the respect he deserves and it would be great if the both Gerrards were playing Cant wait for the Final Cmon you Bluebirds.
Unless I'm mistaken Liverpool are 7th - nothing to brag about.
I think Cardiff will give a good account of themselves in the final and will not turn up just to be cannon fodder. As a great one club player Stevie is entitled to be proud to lead LFC out at the new Wembley and I hope he is still playing when we next win the PL. With 20-20 hindsight I suspect the 3 goals that Bolton scored against LFC may turn out to be the wake up call for a sleeping giant. I am old enough to have stood on the Kop in the early 1950's when if you wanted to shake hands with another kopite you had to walk over to him to do it. Then came a new manager, and if I remember correctly his name was Shanks or something similar, but that was what we called him. Shortly after his arrival, walking anywhere on the Kop became impossible when surrounded by over 23,000 other Kopites! From that point every first division manager freely admitted the only thing they ever got at Anfield was a cup of tea in the boot room. Nostalgic? Yes, but how many of the writers of inane rubbish on this forum rather than their own, support a team with that history. I'll answer my own question NONE!
'Mark Cracknell' - i think if you look closely you will see that we are 5 points off champions league ... a change in luck (ie 21 times hit woodwork this season) and I am confident that that there is enough time to turn those 5 points around!
Mark Cracknell, @ 8
What a neck you have skating on thin ice I would say, LIVERPOOL are poor by their historic standards yes but Chelsea are nothing to write about, you are marginally better as a ( team ) than LIVERPOOL but only just, I could see Torres was a complete waste of space 2 years ago so what does that say about the management at Chelsea to waste £50 million , the laugh is on ye not LFC, regardless of where ye are in the Premiership I bet you would love to be in the Carling Cup because at the end of the day its a valid as the FA cup in terms of getting to the final ie.. you got to beat your opponents to win it.
amazing how you like the Manure are so concerned about the Quality or not of LIVERPOOL players and how lowly you rate them, we bet ye this season despite your so called quality players, Face it you are a third rate team regardless of how much money you pump into yer club, and have NOTHING like the record LIVERPOOL have, ye are going nowhere fast so stop trying to delude yourself about been better than LIVERPOOL FC.
lol manure doesnt look as if they gonna win anything this season either to be honest u retartds
Michael, I suppose now you`ll be taunting Man Utd about how many Carling cups you`ve won because the total prem titles has been overtaken. Face it, you are a mid table team at best and the money we gave you for Torres (yes, I`m a blue ) has been well and truly wasted. Henderson looks like a championship player and Carroll can`t even run in a straight line. I make Cardiff clear favourites.
Mark Cracknell, @ e
What a pathetic and feeble excuse you are for a (supporter) Manure United no doubt, what does this say for you lot beaten by Crystal Palace at home , if its so cheap a cup yet you were beaten at home by a team from a division lower NOW THAT WHAT I CALL A BIGGER LAUGH bet you are splitting your sides I know I was,
Regards what this headline reads Yes Steven always respect other clubs and their supporters as thats what football is about, no point in acting like the Manure United Glory hunters.
I wish Liverpool success...
What a great feat liverpool have pulled off, the Carling cup. I bet all the scousers can`t wait for the great day at Wembley against Cardiff. Hasn`t Kenny done well. Never mind you`re nowhere in the prem and champions league is well out of reach, you were better off under the fat waiter! Still, it gives the rest of us a laugh.
BUT...Cardiff will have previously played at New Wembley 3 times and for Liverpool it will be there first time.
Caridiff will have 6 or 7 internationals in the team so i dont think they will be overawed.
The Liverpool team will be staying in Cardiff the night before so they can follow us up to Wembley as they dont know the way...
come on you blues....
Thas blady game on Satardey is no wot ai need reit now. Am blady seventy far gods sake ai shad be slowin dwn. Anyways, am gonna blame tha Evra fellar. Whai o whai did he open hes big mouth aboot tha Suarez thang i'll neva kno. Tha lot dwn tha road will keick us oot of tha cup and tha will be tha season ovar far ma team.
Tha closast ma team will get ta tha big nambar "FIVE" an europe is channel feive on a Tharsdey neit. Blady hell ma heed hurts
I'd love to get a ticket for the final.. Suarez will be back for this one too.. Lovely .
all the best to our team,liverpoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooool
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