Steve Finnan will not fall into the trap of underestimating Liverpool's forthcoming Champions League opponents FBK Kaunas but he's confident the Reds have enough in their armoury to overcome this latest challenge. The Liverpool squad fly to Kaunas from their Swiss training camp today ahead of the 2nd round first leg qualifier against the reigning champions of Lithuania, with Finnan, who sat out Saturday's friendly against Olympiacos with an upset stomach, admitting he knows nothing about them.
Just like in the previous round against TNS, the Reds will start as strong favourites to progress but the Irish defender insists he and his team-mates won't be treating FBK lightly.
While Liverpool were coasting to a 6-0 aggregate success over the Welsh minnows, FBK were hitting eight goals past Faroe Island outfit HB Torshavn.
"Personally, I don't know anything about Kaunas to be honest but the scouts here have done their homework and briefed us fully on what to expect. We aren't expecting an easy game and with the first leg being away from home it's going to be difficult," Finnan told Liverpoolfc.tv.
"They scored eight goals over two legs in the first qualifying round so their strikers certainly know where the back of the net is. We'll definitely have to be on our guard to quell the attacking threat they'll pose but, as always, we'll be approaching the game in a professional manner and having already kept a few clean-sheets this summer we're confident of doing the same again."
Despite not yet being into August the tie in Kaunas will be Liverpool's fifth game of the summer but Finnan is of the opinion that this unusually early start to the campaign will ultimately prove beneficial to the Reds.
"It is hard to being playing competitive games at such an early stage of our pre-season but fortunately we've got a big enough squad to cope so long as injuries are kept down to a minimum," he adds.
"Hopefully we will reap the benefits of this early start when the season gets underway. Once the Premiership kicks off in August we'll have had a good number of games, Champions League qualifiers and friendlies, under our belt and if we can get off to a good start then it will have been well worth it."
The Reds warmed up for their second Champions League qualifier with a week at a training camp in Switzerland and Finnan says morale within the squad is good.
"It's going well and all the lads seem to be enjoying it. We had a good time out in Switzerland. The atmosphere was really good. The gaffer has brought in some new faces, which is always nice and it keeps everyone on their toes."
The latest new face to join the Liverpool ranks is striker Peter Crouch and Finnan has warmly welcomed his arrival.
"I was very pleased to see us sign Peter Crouch. He gives us another attacking option. Many people just tend to talk about his height and aerial ability but he's also good on the ground.
"He did well last season in a struggling team and scored a lot of goals. I'm sure he'll be a good signing for us and that he'll provide healthy competition for the other strikers at the club."
