Reds will fear us - Toure

Kolo Toure insists Liverpool will be running scared of facing Champions League opponents Arsenal after the Merseysiders were put to the sword on three occasions last season.

The Gunners host the first leg of the all-Premier League affair on Wednesday in what will be a run of three matches against the Reds, with a domestic fixture at Emirates Stadium to come in between on Saturday.

"It is going to be really tight, we know that, but we have the quality and I think they will be scared to play against us," said Toure.

He added: "It is an exciting tie. Last season we played them four times (meeting in the FA and Carling Cups as well as the league) and we showed how strong we were - we beat them in three of those games.

"We need to show them that we have continued to improve and are even stronger than last season."

Toure added in the April edition of the official Arsenal magazine: "We are used to playing against them, so we know we are in for a battle."

Team-mate Cesc Fabregas is determined to get past Liverpool and then Chelsea or Fenerbahce to realise his dream of playing in another Champions League final with Arsenal.

Fabregas, speaking to Spanish radio EFE, said: "Obviously, everybody dreams, but you have to work hard to make dreams become reality. If you stay in bed then you are never going to obtain your dream.

"I would have preferred to play a European team. To play in the Champions League against the same players that you play every week and see on the television, well, I would have preferred Barcelona, Madrid, an Italian team this time.

"But this is what we have been given and we have to deal with it."