Hull boss Phil Brown out to be best of underdogs

Yet Brown has no intention of settling for second best tomorrow and is determined to upset the Kop faithful.

"It is a massive game - they are the best team in the country at the moment without a shadow of a doubt," he said.

"We are a million miles behind Liverpool, but that counts for nothing when the whistle goes. We will have a team capable of competing with Liverpool on a level playing field.

"We could go to Anfield with a fear factor and end up losing the game, but if you go with an away record like we have then we go full of confidence to take them on at their own game. I am not going to put 10 or 11 men behind the ball and try to bore them to death. I am going to try to play some football.

"Liverpool have got a resilience about them, and there is an expectancy that this is their year.

"But it is a big expectancy on their shoulders, and we hope with a bit of resilience on our part we can exploit that."

Benitez is in his fifth season at Anfield - and after excelling in Europe in past seasons, he is now making his strongest Premier League challenge.

Brown added: "One of the unfulfilled parts of Rafa's reign is not winning that Premier League title, and he has given himself a great chance this season.

"Tactically he seems very adept. He has won more European games than any other Liverpool manager, and that speaks volumes.

"He's got to be one of the all-time greats at Liverpool, and it's nice to be able to sit alongside him on the bench and pit my wits against him."

Brown has tasted success at Anfield before as both assistant boss and, most notably, as a player with Bolton.

In 1993 he was a member of the Trotters side, then from the old Second Division, that famously beat the Reds in an FA Cup third-round replay.

It is a game that brings back fond memories.

"It was a great night for me as a player and one I'll never forget," he said.

"It was a great achievement for everyone involved.

"I will never forget the Liverpool supporters. When we beat them, we fully expected the Kop to empty.

"But 15 minutes after the game, they were applauding us off the pitch.

"I will never forget them for that. They understand football.

"But to be booed off the pitch against West Ham after just going top of the league recently, that shows you how desperate those fans are. They want the halcyon days back.

"Really this is their year - but we'll have something to say about that tomorrow."

Two players Hull could come up against are Dutch pair Ryan Babel and Dirk Kuyt.

Babel is struggling to establish himself as a regular starter at Anfield but is a player his compatriot George Boateng, the Hull midfielder, rates very highly.

Boateng said: "Babel, if he gets more games, could be the new Thierry Henry.

"He has got the same posture, pace; he has a good strike and a great football brain.

"In the next few seasons, he could be on the one that partners Fernando Torres up front; he is that good."

Kuyt has impressed over the last year in a new role on the right of midfield but could feature in his more familiar position up front against Hull.

Boateng added: "Kuyt is a hard-working player. What he has achieved with his character is fantastic.

"He is a striker. But when he plays out wide he just fights and does well, gives the team balance - and he can score goals."

Meanwhile, Hull's third-choice goalkeeper Tony Warner has admitted his frustration at a lack of opportunities.

The former Liverpool goalkeeper has made the bench just once, in the Carling Cup, since his summer move from Fulham.

Warner said: "I am quite frustrated. I spoke to the manager about it at length.

"If the manager had said you're going to be number three I wouldn't have signed. That wasn't the brief, but that is the way it has turned out.

"It is disappointing but it is something that happens - and it is down to me to turn it around."