Liverpool can go through: Reina

PARIS – Liverpool’s Spanish goalkeeper Jose Reina said a win against Porto tonight was vital to get them back on course to reach the Champions League knockout stages, adding they had also struggled before winning the trophy in 2005.

Celtic, Chelsea, Real Madrid and AC Milan also have key matches tonight in their bid to reach February’s first knockout round. Five-time European champions Liverpool, runners-up last year, are third in Group A with two matches to go and Rafael Benitez’s side need to beat Porto at Anfield and Marseille in France in a fortnight if they are to keep their hopes alive.”We are third in the group now and need to register two more wins,” Reina told www.liverpoolfc.tv.”That will not be easy but if we play our real game then we know it will be enough.Reina recalls that Liverpool struggled early on before winning the trophy in 2005.Reina was still at Villarreal when Liverpool defeated AC Milan in Turkey to win the tournament in 2005.But he was around to share in the disappointment of last season against the same opposition in Athens.It is an experience he does not want again.Chelsea will clinch qualification for the knockout stages with victory over Rosenborg in Trondheim.Rosenborg will look to former Tottenham striker Steffen Iversen who became the most expensive player to come out of Norway back in 1996 when a fee of 2.7 million pounds (3.75 million euros) signalled the beginning of a seven-year spell at White Hart Lane.Iversen may face stiff resistance from the Chelsea backline with captain John Terry and England teammate Ashley Cole returning to action and set to feature after coming through the Derby match unscathed.Celtic midfielder Scott Brown believes Aiden McGeady could hold the key to the clash against Shakhtar Donetsk – because he has been a class apart all season.McGeady was in inspirational form as he scored the only goal of Celtic’s previous European clash against Benfica.And he scored again as the champions maintained their three-point lead in the Scottish Premier League with a 3-0 triumph over Aberdeen on Saturday.The Scotland star is determined to keep that form going when Shakhtar visit Parkhead on Wednesday.The Ukrainian side won 2-0 against the Hoops at their home ground after netting twice within eight minutes.But Brown is sure things will be different in Glasgow, where Celtic have only lost one Champions League group game out of 14.Celtic boss Gordon Strachan may be without Artur Boruc against Donetsk after the Poland goalkeeper pulled out of the Dons clash during the warm-up.Boruc has a problem with his toes and could not kick the ball properly, so Mark Brown stepped in for a comfortable afternoon.Group D leaders AC Milan meanwhile travel to Benfica with a three-point lead knowing victory would propel them into the knockout stages.Lazio host Olympiakos in Group C with a victory for either team likely to put them through, probably with pool leaders Real Madrid who travel to Werder Bremen.Nampa-AFPFive-time European champions Liverpool, runners-up last year, are third in Group A with two matches to go and Rafael Benitez’s side need to beat Porto at Anfield and Marseille in France in a fortnight if they are to keep their hopes alive.”We are third in the group now and need to register two more wins,” Reina told www.liverpoolfc.tv.”That will not be easy but if we play our real game then we know it will be enough.Reina recalls that Liverpool struggled early on before winning the trophy in 2005.Reina was still at Villarreal when Liverpool defeated AC Milan in Turkey to win the tournament in 2005.But he was around to share in the disappointment of last season against the same opposition in Athens.It is an experience he does not want again.Chelsea will clinch qualification for the knockout stages with victory over Rosenborg in Trondheim.Rosenborg will look to former Tottenham striker Steffen Iversen who became the most expensive player to come out of Norway back in 1996 when a fee of 2.7 million pounds (3.75 million euros) signalled the beginning of a seven-year spell at White Hart Lane.Iversen may face stiff resistance from the Chelsea backline with captain John Terry and England teammate Ashley Cole returning to action and set to feature after coming through the Derby match unscathed.Celtic midfielder Scott Brown believes Aiden McGeady could hold the key to the clash against Shakhtar Donetsk – because he has been a class apart all season.McGeady was in inspirational form as he scored the only goal of Celtic’s previous European clash against Benfica.And he scored again as the champions maintained their three-point lead in the Scottish Premier League with a 3-0 triumph over Aberdeen on Saturday.The Scotland star is determined to keep that form going when Shakhtar visit Parkhead on Wednesday.The Ukrainian side won 2-0 against the Hoops at their home ground after netting twice within eight minutes.But Brown is sure things will be different in Glasgow, where Celtic have only lost one Champions League group game out of 14.Celtic boss Gordon Strachan may be without Artur Boruc against Donetsk after the Poland goalkeeper pulled out of the Dons clash during the warm-up.Boruc has a problem with his toes and could not kick the ball properly, so Mark Brown stepped in for a comfortable afternoon.Group D leaders AC Milan meanwhile travel to Benfica with a three-point lead knowing victory would propel them into the knockout stages.Lazio host Olympiakos in Group C with a victory for either team likely to put them through, probably with pool leaders Real Madrid who travel to Werder Bremen.Nampa-AFP