Confident Reds 'not scared of anyone'

Winger Jermaine Pennant believes the confidence gained from Liverpool FC's five-match winning streak will strengthen their chances of protecting a 2-0 lead at FC Internazionale Milano in the UEFA Champions League first knockout round.

Pennant scored his first goal of the season in Liverpool's 3-0 victory over Newcastle United FC on Saturday – a fourth straight Premier League win following the Reds' first-leg triumph over the Serie A leaders – to further boost morale ahead of Tuesday's decider. "It's a very important game for us," said Pennant. "Win this and we're in the quarter-finals. But we know it's going to be a tough task because Inter are a quality side with great players. We're very confident, though. The mood is very positive. We've had three convincing wins at Anfield and everyone's sharp and really up for this game. It's looking very good."

Liverpool's fine form began with the late goals from Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard against Inter on 19 February which have put them in pole position to reach the last eight. Since then the performances of Fernando Torres, in particular, have caught the eye. The Spanish international has taken his seasonal league tally to 19 thanks to a recent haul of seven goals, including two hat-tricks – and will now want to add to his three strikes in this competition.

The 25-year-old Pennant said of his free-scoring team-mate: "Torres can't stop scoring which is a great habit to get into. We've scored a lot of goals in our last three games so the striking side's going well. Liverpool have always been known for their attacking football and we're not scared of anyone because we can score against anyone. The main thing is we're not conceding, which is a huge bonus."

Another clean sheet will seal Liverpool's ticket to the next stage, where they would join Pennant's former club Arsenal FC, who beat AC Milan here last week, Manchester United FC and Chelsea FC in Friday's draw. "It was a great result for Arsenal and hopefully we'll be able to get a victory as well or keep the scores down at least – not conceding is our main target. English clubs are doing well because of the personnel in the English game. There are a lot of quality players in the Premier League and it's great the top four English clubs could be in the quarter-finals."

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