England midfielder Steven Gerrard vows to take his Liverpool FC form to Slovakia game

"If we get two wins in the next two games I will be going back home with a smile.

"I've reached a certain level and now I want to take that into the next two England games."

If Liverpool do go on to end their 19-year league championship drought in May, his international ambitions would be the ones with the biggest gap to fill.

"I am desperate to win something with England," Gerrard said.

"When we have been knocked out of tournaments, the hurt and pain is exactly the same as when you don't achieve something with your club.

"The challenge now is to get qualification sorted and then go into the tournament full of confidence.

"Winning trophies as a football player is what it's all about.

"I'm sure this country would be an unbelievable place to be if we were to achieve something."

Winning at Old Trafford and then thrashing Aston Villa on Sunday courtesy of his hat-trick has swung the momentum of the title race towards Anfield, with Gerrard hoping that the international break does not halt their run of form.

"The hat-trick doesn't really count because there were two penalties but I just want to keep the momentum going," he said.

"We've got on the shoulder of Manchester United, Chelsea lost as well. So we are having a fantastic period.

"I'm very happy with the way I've been playing but I need to thank my Liverpool team-mates because my form has been down to them."

Gerrard admits he was under pressure before the last qualifier, against Belarus, as there were calls for Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry to be played in central midfield.

England coach Fabio Capello kept Gerrard in the team and he grabbed the opener in Minsk. Now he is determined to make a mark on his England return after missing the friendlies against Germany and Spain through injury.

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"I'm on a high," he said. "Things are going really well for the club.

"The last performance for England I was under pressure to perform and I was happy with my performance. I thought I delivered that. I've missed a few (games) but I've found my form really quickly after my hamstring injury and I'm full of confidence."

Gerrard insists the focus is now fully on England and the title race will be on the backburner.

"We're with England now, the club games have to wait and we're focused on a friendly win on Saturday and three important points on Wednesday to stay top of the group," he said.

"There have been plenty of times I've joined up with England on the back of defeats and it's not nice for the first few days - once they are out the way it's everyone pulling together getting the right results for the country.

"It's been a hectic few weeks, even though the results have been good and they've been exciting times. Hopefully that momentum will continue when we get back.

"There are big games coming up for Liverpool but we're focused on getting important results for the country first."

Ukraine is the important match of the two - with England looking to maintain their 100% record in qualifying - but Gerrard expects a test against Slovakia, who boast one of his Liverpool club-mates in their ranks.

He said: "It will be a test and it will be good preparation for us. Martin Skrtel is my team- mate and he is getting better all the time, I'm sure he will be a world-class player in the future.

"There has been a bit of banter with Martin, but he's quiet despite being vocal and very tough on the pitch.

"If his team-mates are as good as him we are in for a really tough game.

"They are coming to Wembley so they will be up for it and we'll show them respect."

David Beckham could set a new caps record for an outfield player if he features on Saturday - and Gerrard hopes he too will have a long-lasting international career.

"It's a phenomenal record and I'd love to see him break the record," Gerrard said.

"Hopefully I can stay in the set-up for a long time. I'm happy with my 70, I've missed a few through injury and hopefully I can get a few more in the future."

It's only a starting position and I do feel I can be dangerous there."