"People rate the Italian for some reason. For me, he is all mouth. He looks aggressive, but he is as scary as a kitten. I swear I wouldn't mind playing against Gattuso every week. He doesn't hurt you. I have never seen Gattuso play a killer ball. He won't nick a goal either. Gattuso just plays for the fans - theatrical and emotional."

So wrote Steven Gerrard about Gennaro Gattuso, the man he crossed swords with in Istanbul two years ago and who stands between him and a second Champions League trophy.

It is an extraordinary thing for one player to say about another individual professional, and it is inconceivable that Gerrard would have been so disparaging about another player in the Premiership for example.

Perhaps Liverpool's captain must have felt fairly confident that the chances of he and Gattuso clashing again in a match of such importance were not high.

It would be fair to assume that at the moment Gerrard wishes he had been a little bit more diplomatic.

For a start, at the time Gerrard's autobiography was at the printers last summer, Gattuso was being feted in Italy as a World Cup winner.

AC Milan's combative midfielder would have forgiven for taking the Joey Barton line on England autobiographies: "We got beat in the quarter-finals. Here's my book."

For all of Gerrard's disparagement, two of the best coaches in the world, Carlo Ancelotti and Marcello Lippi, clearly rate Gattuso extremely highly.

Gerrard is right in that Gattuso will not play a killer ball, will not nick a goal.

But you could say the same thing about Claude Makelele. That is not why Gattuso is chosen for the best teams in the world.

Gattuso is all about ceaseless energy, relentless harrying and aggressive challenging while leaving the killer balls and goal-nicking to others. He is probably the destructive player in football at the moment, and no wonder he is nicknamed Ringhio - translated as 'the Snarler' - in Italy.

Liverpool need only look at the replay of the Milan's second leg victory over Manchester United to see the influence of Gattuso, especially in helping neutralise the threat of Cristiano Ronaldo.

In terms of footballing prowess Gerrard is a class apart - as indeed he is from most midfielders because he has that elusive combination of skill, power and drive.

It was Gerrard who forced Liverpool back into the final two years ago - sparked, he claims, by seeing Gattuso with a smirk on his face at half-time.

The Italian has branded that claim as "lies", and certainly the first tackle between the two in Athens on Wednesday night should be a sight to behold.

Milan are already inspired by the desire to expunge the memories of that defeat in Istanbul, while Gattuso has an extra personal incentive to be a winner on Wednesday night.

Revenge is a dish best served cold, and it is looking nicely chilled for Gattuso and Gerrard.