That the opening barb in what promises to be a passionate reunion between the Rossoneri and Rafael Benitez's side in Athens should come from the former Rangers "pitbull" is no surprise. Gerrard identified Gattuso as the ringleader of Liverpool's tormentors at half-time at the Ataturk Stadium in 2005, when Milan departed with a 3-0 lead and a premature grin across the face of their combative midfielder, and delivered a character assassination on his opponent in a recent autobiography.

An actor who plays to the crowd and never delivers a telling line was the Liverpool captain's basic premise about Gattuso, and their impending confrontation in Greece merely swells the intrigue surrounding this year's final.

"I am very happy that he wants to say that about me to get me going. I now have 20 days to prepare to play against him again," said Gattuso. "I still have respect for him and I like the way he plays, he is the best player in England and a legend for his club. I am looking forward to playing him again and looking him in the eye before the game starts. This will be a very important game for us both."

Milan do have a sense of destiny about Athens, where they won the last European Cup to be held in the city with one of the finest performances in a final, the 4-0 humiliation of Barcelona in 1993. Not that Gattuso believes Liverpool will partake in a similar spectacle.

"Liverpool are more like an Italian team of 10 years ago," the midfielder bristled. "All they try to do is defend together, with everybody behind the ball and just one striker. But all Liverpool do is play long balls, every ball is a long ball. It is very different to Manchester United, who are a footballing team."

* Judges at the European Court of Human Rights have rejected an appeal by the Liverpool fan Michael Shields, who was jailed in Bulgaria for attacking a barman following the 2005 European Cup final. Shields, 20, who is now serving his 10-year sentence in this country, had appealed on the grounds his rights were violated during the trial.

* Liverpool and Milan will each receive more than 20,000 tickets for the European Cup final on 23 May at the 72,000-capacity Athens Olympics Stadium. A Uefa spokesman said that there would be a fan park for ticketless fans.

The smirk that enraged Gerrard

I wasn't worried about Gennaro Gattuso before the game, during the game or after. To me, he's all mouth. He looks aggressive, but in fact he's as scary as a kitten. I swear I wouldn't mind playing against Gattuso every week. He doesn't hurt you. I have never seen Gattuso play a killer ball. He won't nick a goal, either.

... Gattuso just plays for the fans. Theatrical. Emotional. The Italian was also the one Milan player who had a smirk on his face leaving the pitch at half-time. I saw it. Fuck you. A couple of other Milan players waved at their fans and family. That disgusted me. So did Pirlo's nutmeg just before half-time. Disrespectful. OK, Milan were battering us, but you never behave like that to opponents. Never. BelfastTelegrah

... I was speechless, enraged by our display, my own performance and that smirk of Gattuso's.

In Italian: Gerrard avverte il Milan "Rispetto, ma non paura"

Il capitano del Liverpool avvisa i rossoneri: "Non temiamo nessuno". Il tecnico Benitez: "Kakà e Gattuso tra i migliori al mondo"

"Siamo l'incubo di tutti perché non ci sentiamo mai battuti. È una grande qualità". Steven Gerrard, capitano del Liverpool, mette subito le cose in chiaro in vista della finale di Atene contro il Milan. Due anni fa, i Reds regalarono una serata indimenticabile ai propri tifosi e una delusione colossale al Milan. Gerrard spera di ripetere l'impresa di Istanbul e svela il segreto della sua squadra: "Non importa chi abbiamo di fronte. Non abbiamo fatto bene in Premier League, ma siamo un'altra cosa in Europa. Alzare la coppa mi è passato per la mente appena abbiamo segnato l'ultimo rigore contro il Chelsea. Sarebbe magico. Non c'è niente di meglio per un giocatore...".