Former Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien has thrown his support behind Liverpool to overcome AS Roma in the UEFA Champions League semifinal tie.
Essien, who faced the Merseysiders on countless occasions during his time at Chelsea, has thrown his bet behind them to pick the sole ticket to the grande finale.
The 35-year-old believes Jurgen Klopp's side victory over Manchester City in the quarter finals stage of the competition has swung the tie in their favour.
"They were a bit like the underdogs when they were facing Manchester City but they put up a good performance in both legs and qualified", Essien was quoted as saying by Insidefotbul.com.
"So I think they deserved to win and go through. Everyone including myself will be expecting them to go all the way," he added.
The Reds last played a Champions League final in 2007 under Rafael Benitez.
Liverpool will host Roma at Anfield on Tuesday April 24 before travelling to Stadio Olimpico for the return fixture on Wednesday May 2.
The winner of the tie will face the winner between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in the final.