Brendan Rodgers: 'Liverpool are not Champions League tourists'

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has insisted that his side will not be "tourists" on their return to the Champions League.

The five-time winners will take part in the competition for the first time since 2009 tonight, when Ludogorets Razgrad visit Anfield.

Rodgers has said that Liverpool are ready for the challenge that lies ahead.

"We are not tourists in this competition - we believe it is where we belong and where we should be playing," he told FourFourTwo.

"For the players and everyone involved it's something that brings the real excitement, but it isn't a 'giddy' excitement. We are Liverpool, we are five times winners of the European Cup and we are synonymous with its best traditions.

"Our players are excited by the challenges ahead, not daunted by them. We have earned the right to be there, that's the important thing."

The Merseyside club will also face Real Madrid and Basel in Group B.