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Babbel eyes a unique treble
LIVERPOOL, England (Reuters) -- German Defender Markus Babbel is desperate to banish European memories of two years ago by helping Liverpool defeat Alaves and win the UEFA Cup to complete the third leg of an historic cup treble. The former Bayern Munich defender was in the team that dramatically surrendered a lead in the final moments of the 1999 European Cup final to lose 2-1 to Manchester United in Barcelona. Babbel, who arrived on Merseyside on a free transfer under the Bosman Ruling from Bayern last summer, has bounced back to play his part in the English premier league side's memorable domestic double this season. The FA Cup now sits alongside the League Cup in the Anfield trophy room following Saturday's thrilling 2-1 victory over Arsenal in Cardiff. Now Babbel is focused on returning to his homeland and adding a second European club title to his own personal list of honors and desperate to avoid another night of disappointment in Dortmund on Wednesday. Babbel, 28, in the Germany team that won Euro'96 and the Bayern team that beat Bordeaux to win the UEFA Cup a few weeks earlier, said: "We simply have to win this final. I know what it feels like to lose a European final from my time with Bayern and it was absolutely awful. "If you lose a game like that in the last two minutes it is very hard, especially when you have the better chances and are the better team. "We hit the post and some other chances were centimeters wide of the post. We were unlucky, then within minutes the game was over. "As a footballer, you sometimes have chances to win titles and when they come along you have to pick them up. The good thing about football is that you nearly always get a second chance. "Now I am back in a European final with Liverpool and I am confident in our ability to win this game. "We have the quality in the squad and the first chance in 16 years to win a European trophy for Liverpool. All we need is a good performance and we will win the final." Holding a unique set of three cup winners medals will represent a major achievement for Gerard Houllier's Liverpool squad, who can also earn a coveted Champions League spot for next season with victory in their last premier league game of the season at Charlton Athletic next weekend. Yet despite Alaves being touted as surprise UEFA Cup finalists' and firm outsiders to lift the trophy, Babbel insists Liverpool will not underestimate the Spaniards in his homeland. He added: "We know Alaves are a dangerous team because they beat Kaiserslautern 9-2 on aggregate. Never before have I heard about a team doing that in a semifinal -- but they also beat Inter Milan, so they are a good side with many international players. "Any team that reaches the UEFA Cup Final must be strong, so we will be expecting a really tough game and we have to be prepared for that."
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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