Jamie Carragher has warned Liverpool and the rest of the Premiership they will have to beat Chelsea if they want to win any of the big trophies.

The clubs will meet for the 10th time in 18 months on Saturday in the FA Cup semi-final at Old Trafford and the Liverpool defender faced up to the challenge that will confront Liverpool, insisting: "Get used to it."

One victory in their last nine games against Chelsea - admittedly their Champions League semi-final triumph last season - is not a good return in Carragher's book, but he believes that learning to overcome Chelsea has to be the focus for the Anfield club.

He said: "To win the FA Cup we'd have to beat Chelsea anyway. If we had got one of the other teams, you'd expect Chelsea to be in the final.

"Everything you want to do now, you are going to have to beat Chelsea. To win the European Cup, we had to beat Chelsea.

"To win the FA Cup we'll have to beat Chelsea and to win the league, you are going to have to beat them.

"All this stuff about hoping not to play them - just play them. You have to beat them to win things, that is the way it is."

Carragher, in a Liverpool Football Club magazine interview, is already working in his own mind on what is needed to overcome the champions.

He said: "We will have to keep it tight at the back, because they do the same. We are similar because we are both strong at the back.

"You cannot afford to waste any opportunities because there shouldn't be too many in the game. To beat Chelsea you are probably going to have to keep a clean sheet, that is what we are looking to do."

He added: I enjoy playing in these games because they are the best team in the country and one of the best in Europe.

"We realise it's going to be difficult and we are going to be underdogs. We have played nine times and won only once, but that was the most important of all. This will also be very important and hopefully we can win it again."

Carragher, though, is more than happy with Liverpool's progress this season and the fact they have qualified for the Champions League three weeks before the end of the season.

He said: "To secure qualification so quickly is a good achievement, particularly when you look at how difficult it has been to qualify in recent seasons.

"It is a sign of how much we have improved to go up two places in one season. Hopefully we can go up another two next term.

"We have managed to add ourselves to the Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea group who have been dominating the Premiership."