Steven Gerrard, the Liverpool captain, is confident his side can win in Marseilles tomorrow night to clinch a place in the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Liverpool’s hopes of progressing from Group A looked worse than slim after defeats by Besiktas and at home to Marseilles. But a Champions League record 8-0 victory over the Turkish side in the return match followed by a 4-1 defeat of Porto has resurrected chances of progress alongside the other three English teams, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.

“If you’d told me five minutes after the final whistle against Marseilles at Anfield we would go into the last game knowing a win would secure qualification, I would have bitten your hand off,” Gerrard said.

“We knew we had an uphill struggle, but after our recent performances in the competition, it’s up to ourselves again. We’re a more confident side than the one that lost to Marseilles.”

This is not unchartered territory for Liverpool and Gerrard, having been in a similar position in the final group game in their triumphant Champions League campaign in the 2004/05 season.

They needed to score three second half goals to progress against Olympiacos and achieved it thanks to a long-range thunderbolt from Gerrard.

Gerrard is hopeful that experience will stand them in good stead for the trip to the Stade Velodrome.

“The big difference this time is we’re not at home, but we’re playing good football and winning matches,” he added.

“The pressure will be on Marseille as much as us. They’re at home and they probably hoped they would already be through having already beaten us once, but fortunately it hasn’t worked out like that. We have to take advantage of the opportunity we have given ourselves.”