BLACKBURN Rovers midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen has vowed to put sentiment firmly to one side as he attempts to stop Liverpool and Jon Arne Riise in their tracks at Anfield tonight.
The Norwegian international, who has been the star of Rovers' FA Cup run, has revealed that Riise played a crucial role in helping him through the dark days of his early Blackburn career.
The 23-year-old frequently called on his close pal and fellow countryman for advice earlier in the season as he battled to make his mark at Ewood under new boss Mark Hughes.
Thankfully, Pedersen found the strength of character needed to win Hughes over but he hasn't forgotten the part Riise played in his Rovers revival - even though he's hoping to inflict the defeat that could wreck Liverpool's hopes of pipping Everton to a place in next season's Champions League.
"When I first came to England it was really hard," said Pedersen.
"I was in a new country, it was a new culture, and there was a lot of new things to try and get used to.
"But me and Jon Arne kept talking a lot and we only lived 35 minutes away from each other so we'd meet up because we are very good friends.
"It was good for me to have a friend around who could support me at that time and I never got down because of that.
"I just tried to go into training and prove that I was good enough to play. If you are patient, work hard and go into training with a smile on your face then you can succeed."
With eight points separating Liverpool and Everton in the table, Rafa Benitez's side need to win at Anfield tonight to keep the pressure on the Toffees ahead of Sunday's make-or-break Merseyside derby.
But Pedersen and his Blackburn team-mates are in no mood to do the Reds any favours as they still need two more wins themselves to stave off the threat of relegation once and for all.
"I was talking to Jon about it the other day on the phone and he was saying this is an important game for Liverpool because they want to qualify for the Champions League," said Pedersen.
"If they were to win, it would close the gap on Everton before they meet each other on Sunday but we won't be handing them three points on a plate, we'll go there and try our best because it's an important game for us, also.
"Bigger feats happen in football than us beating Liverpool away, and maybe they'll be more focused on the derby anyway. You never know."
If Rovers are to win at Anfield in the league for the first time in 12 years then Pedersen could have a crucial role to play.
The former Tromso star has scored five goals in 12 games since he was recalled to the side at the beginning of January, and his quality in the final third could be even more important this evening in the absence of leading scorer Paul Dickov.
"Jon jokingly said 'I'll be talking to my right-back about you' so maybe I should have a word with Lucas (Neill) about him," quipped Pedersen.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article