Auxerre beat Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund this season in the Champions League before dropping back into the UEFA Cup.

However, Houllier feels the all-round international experience of players like Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, Dietmar Hamann and Sami Hyypia will see the Merseysiders into the last eight of the competition they won two seasons ago.

Houllier will be without ankle injury victim Vladimir Smicer, but will have Emile Heskey back from a similar knock and Gerrard available because the Football Association ban imposed on him for violent conduct counts only in domestic matches.

Houllier said: “We have a bit more international and European experience than them, some of our players have had over 35 games in Europe.

“The age of the players is practically the same for most of them, so the experience level will be crucial.

“It will be an exciting game, both sides are relatively inexperienced and young, maybe we have more experience but the two sides will be trying to show their best football.”

Liverpool can certainly do with the confidence boost of a top-level performance after bowing out of the Champions League, the title race and then the FA Cup.

“We hope this is the beginning of a good second half of the season for us,” Houllier added.

“At times we haven’t had the luck or the results we have deserved, but since January 1 it has been better. We will endeavour to continue that way.

“We won’t win the title but we have a chance of getting into a Champions League spot.

“We still have a (Worthington) Cup final against Manchester United to come, we are still in the UEFA Cup and we are still chasing a Champions League spot, of course we are disappointed to be out of the FA Cup but these things happen. We had enough chances to have beaten Crystal Palace twice over.

“The criticism was fair because of the result, but it was not fair when it was an attack on our football because we created an awful lot of chances.”

The spotlight will again fall on Owen, who has scored regularly in Europe this season despite struggling domestically.

Owen is one goal short of equalling Ian Rush’s club record of 20 European goals, and if he does score against Auxerre he will be the first Liverpool player ever to score in four successive away European ties.

And with 15 of his European goals away from home, Owen is prime for more glory at the Stade de l’Abbe Deschamps.

Houllier added: “The hallmark of his talent is that he has continued to score goals in Europe despite his problems in the league. He has kept going.

“Against (Vitesse) Arnhem he could have broken Ian Rush’s record there and then, he had so many opportunities.

“I’m happy with him and sad when I see criticism of him. But teams come to Anfield and defend deep and make it difficult for him to find space behind them, that’s how it looks.

“In Europe teams don’t defend so deeply against him. Maybe he finds it a little easier to play in Europe.”

Auxerre will be without the suspended Djibril Cisse and have injury doubts over fellow France internationals Philippe Mexes and Arsenal target Olivier Kapo.

Johan Radet, Teemu Tainio and Yann Lachuer – who all missed the recent defeat by Nantes – are expected to return.