Dirk Kuyt says Liverpool players know better than most how to handle pressure as the Reds go into tonight’s must-win Champions League clash with Lyon in France.

Anything short of a victory for Rafa Benitez’s men tonight will leave their European campaign hanging by a thread with two games of the group stage remaining.

And with six defeats in their last seven games, Kuyt says the pressure is really on the club, but the players know how to deal with such expectations.

He told press, “If you play for Liverpool there is always pressure and you always have to win your games.

“There is more pressure now than normally, but if you want to play at the top you have to cope with this pressure.

“It’s very good to play games with high pressure because if you do well it gives you a major boost.

“I am looking forward to the game. I know there is a lot of pressure, but that is what it is all about if you’re a football player.

“We have to try and win this game and go from there. We have a really strong belief we can do it.”

Lyon vs Liverpool gets underway at 7.45pm.