Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard admits the direction his side and Real Madrid have taken in the last five years means their Champions League meeting at Anfield tonight should be regarded as a "bonus" match.

In 2009 Gerrard scored twice in a thrilling 4-0 victory over the Spanish giants, their largest away defeat in Europe.

Fast-forward to the present day and Real arrive as defending champions after lifting their 10th European title in May while Liverpool are still acclimatising to a first season back among Europe's elite after a five-year absence.

"That was a wonderful evening for myself and the team back in 2009, it was a fabulous team performance and we are looking for the performance level to be similar tonight if we want a positive result," he said.

"With all due respect to the team back in 2009, Madrid have progressed and improved and, like they showed last year, they are a fantastic team so we have huge respect for the new Real Madrid team.

"This is almost like a bonus game for us - a game we need to enjoy - but I've been around for a long time and I know you only enjoy nights like this when you put in a good performance as a team and we are hoping we surprise and shock a few people.

"We are progressing as a team, we are moving forward and trying to improve."

Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has every confidence rookie goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez will be up to the challenge of his Champions League debut at Anderlecht.

With regular Gunners' No.1 Wojciech Szczesny suspended and Colombia international David Ospina, bought in the summer from Nice, out for up to three months with a thigh problem, Wenger has little choice but to put his faith in the 22-year-old.

Although Martinez has made just two Arsenal appearances, Wenger believes spending a loan period in the Championship with Sheffield Wednesday last season will have served as good preparation for what awaits at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium.

"(I am) extremely confident, because he has experience from Sheffield last year and when he played for us, he did very well," said Wenger.

"He is two years older now (than his last Arsenal match), has a good experience. He has grown in stature as well."