Liverpool will find themselves cast in the curious role of welcome guests at a celebratory party in their honour this evening as a small Czech Republic town, hitherto renowned only for the strength and purity of its beer, grinds to a halt to enjoy its Warholesque 15 minutes of fame.

The last time Liberec came to a standstill was when industrial action prompted tools to be laid down at the local colliery. That is to say nothing much ever happens in northern Bohemia. But now the bunting is up, children have been issued with commemorative flags and the civic elders are giddy with excitement.

Rarely, if ever, has a UEFA Cup tie been so eagerly anticipated by supporters who, almost to a man, concede that elimination is the likely end product.

The irony is that, on paper at least, Slovan Liberec's goose has most definitely not yet been fully cooked. In the tedious first leg at Anfield, two teams of vastly contrasting merit were separated only by Emile Heskey's late goal.

Liverpool's manager Gerard Houllier said Liberec in the first leg "did make it difficult for us by pulling everyone back behind the ball. They need to score this time, so they will have to be a good deal more adventurous. If they push forwards, they might leave a few gaps at the back which we can hopefully exploit."

That will almost certainly have to be done without Michael Owen. The striker will figure only in an emergency, having spent so long recovering from a head wound sustained last month that he has now lost overall fitness.