No room for sentiment - Gerrard

The 26-year-old will have to wait for the outcome of Mark Hudson's fitness test before discovering if he will play a role in Sunday's showpiece final and face his illustrious cousin.

But if he gets the chance to feature it will see Gerrard's career come almost full circle from the disappointment of being let go by Everton as a 19-year-old.

A four-year stint with Walsall followed that body blow before his move to Cardiff in 2009.

And having worked his way back up the leagues, Gerrard, who spent last season on loan at Hull, says he will stop at nothing to end up on the winning side this weekend, even if it means denying the cousin with who he spent much of his youth playing football with in the streets of Huyton.

He said: "If he (Steven) goes through one on one in the last minute and we are winning then I would have to take him out.

"He already has too many winners medals and if this is my chance to get one then I have to take it.

Winners

"I'm sure he would understand that, we are born and bred winners.

"You don't achieve what he has without having that winning mentality.

"Just look at (the 2005 Champions League final in) Istanbul, he led the team and he got the first goal back when they were 3-0 down and he was shouting and wanting the fans to get behind them.

"His whole presence at the club is fantastic, he strikes fear into opponents when they see his name on the team sheet.

"He leads by example and drives Liverpool on, not just as a team but as a club.

"It would not surprise me if he is there at 65. He can be whatever he wants at Liverpool, he has earned the right."