LIVERPOOL captain Steven Gerrard admits the direction his side and Real Madrid have taken in the last five years means their Champions League meeting at Anfield should be regarded as a "bonus" match.

In 2009 Gerrard was at the centre of a thrilling 4-0 victory over the Spanish giants – their largest away defeat in Europe – scoring twice as Fernando Torres ran riot against the visitors.

Fast-forward to the present day and Real arrive as defending champions after lifting their tenth European title in May while Liverpool are still acclimatising to a first season back among Europe's elite after a five-year absence.

Gerrard described their start to the season as "stuttering", with the team yet to find anything like their scintillating form of last season, but he is confident they can raise their game.

"Everyone knows what this club is about and its history and it is very important we keep Champions League football here for as long as we can," he said.

"That was a wonderful evening for myself and the team back in 2009, it was a fabulous team performance and we are looking for the performance level to be similar tomorrow night if we want a positive result.

"It is nights like that which live with you forever; when giants like Real Madrid come into town and you manage to perform really well and get a good result they are fantastic memories.

"Looking back at that game the reason we came out on top is because we were very aggressive both with and without the ball; we pressed from the front and we also had a world-class talent in Fernando Torres who set the tempo on the night and we all came in behind him.

"With all due respect to the team back in 2009, Real Madrid have progressed and improved and, like they showed last year, they are a fantastic team so we have huge respect for the new Real Madrid team.

"This is almost like a bonus game for us – a game we need to enjoy – but I've been around for a long time and I know you only enjoy nights like this when you put in a good performance as a team and we are hoping we surprise and shock a few people .

"We are new back in the Champions League, we have only had a couple of games back in so I am not sure Real Madrid will come with any fear, I think they will come in full of confidence.

"I am not sure there are many opponents Real worry about facing at the moment but for us this is a fantastic challenge, one we have worked very hard for.

"We are progressing as a team, we are moving forward and trying to improve."

As high winds whipped Anfield for both teams' training sessions Rodgers was asked which he feared more: Hurricane Gonzalo or Hurricane Cristiano, referencing the current weather system and Real's goalscoring phenomenon.

"The hurricane will be on the field, for sure," he said.

"Both teams will be looking to win the game, both teams will be working hard to get the points and we are really looking forward to the challenge.

"Real Madrid have great players, but I also have some world-class players of great quality."

With Gareth Bale absent through injury even more focus is on Cristiano Ronaldo but Gerrard said it would be a mistake just to hone in on the Portugal star.

"I think when Cristiano played for Manchester United there were signs in there he was world-class player and the figures he produced for Manchester United were very good but I think his game has gone to another level," said the former England midfielder.

"Now he is arguably the best player in the world, he has improved year by year and the goals he scores now he is setting new records and he is a phenomenal player.

"It is very important we don't go into this game just worrying about Cristiano as it will be very disrespectful to the rest of the Real Madrid team.

"My focus is on my team-mates and the top players that we have got.

"It is important we try to perform well collectively and try to make it as difficult as we can."

Gerrard has been critical of the team's performance on a couple of occasions this season - most recently after Sunday's win at QPR - but he insists that applies to him as well as the rest of the squad.

"I am sure they have taken it on board, I have myself. The message is not just to the rest of the squad, I am involved in it myself," he added.

"We have been up and down and it has been a bit of a stuttering season but there have been quite a few changes.

"Everyone is well aware we have lost a phenomenal player in Luis Suarez and we have struggled getting Daniel Sturridge on the field so it is only natural we will have some teething problems before we hit the heights of last season.

"I have huge confidence in this group of players that we can get back to the form we had last season, it won't be very long."