AHEAD of his trip to Sydney to play for the Liverpool Legends against Australia's Legendroos on   January 7, Steven Gerrard spoke to Carly Adno about the tour, his admiration for Tim Cahill, the Australian players who have caught his eye and the reign of Liverpool under new manager Jurgen Klopp.
THE SUPPORT IN AUSTRALIA To appreciate Steven Gerrard and his legacy on football you need to look no further than his stats and personal honours.
He's answered all the usual questions about most memorable moment, best goal, players he admired, growing up many times before and he's covered many other areas in his own autobiography. But with over 500 appearances for Liverpool before moving to LA Galaxy at the end of last season, one moment still stands out for the club legend - hearing nearly 100,000 fans belt out, 'You'll Never Walk Alone', at the MCG when Liverpool played in Melbourne two years ago. 
He's hoping for a similar atmosphere at ANZ Stadium on   January 7 and promises the fans will be treated to an entertaining, competitive match in return.
"Last time I was in Australia, in Melbourne, it absolutely blew me away the Australian support that we have over there," Gerrard said.
"I just think they've bought into the Liverpool way and Liverpool's history and they're all part of a big Liverpool family.
"They're the reason why we're coming over. It was very touching over in Melbourne when all the Australian fans came down and were singing, 'You'll never walk alone', nearly 100,000 of them, it was incredible. That's the reason we want to come back over to Australia, a different part, and hopefully get the same reaction and same turnout. The message is that we're looking forward to coming over to play in front of them and hopefully they enjoy the occasion, because we certainly will.
"I know a lot of the players who I've played with and I know a lot of the ex-players and I think it's part of the DNA of any footballer, whether it be a friendly match, an exhibition match or a serious match, you want to win.
"It will be great to play with the official Liverpool FC Legends. The squad looks like it's a great set of lads, it'll be good to get on the pitch with them. Our fans are the best and to play in front of them again will be emotional, I'm sure." So, how much does he know about his opposition, the likes of Robbie Slater, Mark Bosnich, Tony Popovic and Ned Zelic?
"Well, I was very keen to find out who the opposition were and some of the names involved,"he said. "They've (Australia) got a pretty strong lineup and I know quite a few Aussie players that I've played with, I know it's in them to win as well, so I think it's going to be a competitive match.
"I'm sure it will be played in the right way and hopefully we can put a show on for those supporters."
THE APPEAL OF PLAYING IN AUSTRALIA English Premier League giants Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham have all toured Australia in recent years, with Arsenal soon to join that lineup of football royalty with a 2017 visit secured.
Gerrard isn't surprised to see English clubs adding Australia to their travel itineraries, but isn't at all threatened it might diminish Liverpool's stronghold in the country.
"I think everyone wants to grow their support base, but we have the biggest support over in Australia," Gerrard said.
"So I think it's going to be very difficult for Arsenal to try and become as big as Liverpool over there because we've already got them and they're already part of something special. The message to our fans is just to stay Red and hopefully there are a lot of good days to come in the future."
THE EARLY DAYS AND HIS CHALLENGES It wasn't all smooth sailing for Gerrard. He was spotted by Liverpool scouts while playing for local club Whiston Juniors at the age of nine, but had to deal with disappointment when he wasn't immediately signed up by the club.
"I think growing up from the age of eight to 17 or 18, when I made my debut, you always have doubts," he said. "Am I good enough? Am I as good as the players that are already there? I had a lot of injuries on the way, so I had doubts and challenges and hurdles and setbacks, but what you've got to do as a young player growing up, trying to achieve things in any walk of life really, you've got to deal with setbacks and deal with disappointments by trying to use them to spur you on and improve.
"That's what I did and I got my rewards in the end, but it took a lot of hard work and dedication." Gerrard finally made his senior debut for the Reds in 1998 in a Premier League match against Blackburn Rovers and never looked back.
In the 17 years since, he has seen the standard of football rise. "I think it just keeps getting better and stronger and quicker every year," he said. "In the Premier League, the bar keeps getting raised. It's getting a lot of exciting players in from all over the world and there are a lot of teams who are getting stronger and stronger and I think that's the reason why the title race this year is wide open. One from seven teams can probably win it."
LIVERPOOL UNDER JURGEN KLOPP Gerrard never got the opportunity to play under the club's new manager Jurgen Klopp as Brendan Rodgers was the Liverpool manager when he left the club, but he is getting a taste of the charismatic German's style by training with his former club during the MLS off season and in preparation for   January's exhibition match.
"I'm actually back training with Liverpool at the moment and the intensity and speed of training is scary really - it's top draw really," he said.
"I think the Premier League is just going to go from strength to strength." So, does he think this will be the season Liverpool finally wins the Premier League title?
"I'd love that to happen, but a lot of teams are capable of challenging," he said.
"We've got a new manager and he's certainly improved things over the last few weeks and months, so hopefully come the end of the season Liverpool are in a position to challenge.
"But I'm not going to say that they're going to win it or they're going to do anything because it only adds pressure to the team and I don't think that's fair."
ROBBIE FARAH How could Gerrard forget Robbie Farah? He met the Wests Tigers star on his last visit to Australia and hopes to see him again this time around. Farah is a fanatical Liverpool fan who even has the words, 'You'll Never Walk Alone', tattooed on his ribs.
"I believe so - I've seen it on Instagram," Gerrard said.
"I do remember him - a big, strong unit. He's obviously a legend in his own sport and a big Liverpool fan as well."I'm not sure if he's going to be about for the game, but it would be good to say hello to him again - that would be nice."