Liverpool and Chelsea will take to the field at Anfield tonight for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final with behind the scenes goings-on making as much news as anything either of the two teams manage to produce on the pitch.

Liverpool are on a run of twenty-seven games in all competitions with only three defeats. Chelsea have an identical record over the same number of games.

Both teams have proved themselves to be amongst the best in Europe and probably the world, yet all that seems to get talked about is the American owners arguing like school children in Liverpool and the fact that Avram Grant is not a manager of sufficient quality to demand the respect of the Chelsea players or fans.

I'm going to buck the trend now and discuss the footballing pedigree of the two teams.

Liverpool are not a two man team although Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres have both been crucial to their success this season. They are two players who can win a match with a single piece of brilliance or with sustained probing and drive. At their best, they are both wonderful to watch.

Javier Mascherano has had his critics this year following his aberration at Old Trafford but on the field he has produced performances of sheer quality over the past few months.

At the back, is there a more determined defender than Jamie Carragher in Europe? Behind him, the keeper, Pepe Reina, has had his moments, but continues to rank amongst the best.

For Chelsea, Didier Drogba may have fallen short of the brilliance he showed last season because of injuries amongst other things, but in the big games he remains a formidable striker who has all the attributes to cause problems to any defence.

In the midfield, they have Frank Lampard, available despite his mother's illness, Michael Ballack and maybe Joe Cole roaming around causing havoc. These are three top quality players who will ensure that Mascherano and Alonso have their hands full.

At the back, Ricardo Carvalho has been immense this season and John Terry is getting back to somewhere near his best.

Behind them, they have Petr Cech. Still one of the top keepers in world football.

I could have mentioned all twenty-two players. They are all top class and we will see a game of football that has all the ingredients to be memorable. These affairs haven't always been great in the past, but they are always tense, full of incident and surrounded by controversy. I don't expect this to be any different.

So, just for one day, lets ignore the politics and the rubbish and concentrate on the football. These are two great sides and they deserve people's undivided attention.