Brendan Rodgers has accepted it is time to embellish his Liverpool reign with silverware but hinted that progress in the Capital One Cup would further strain his relationship with José Mourinho.

Liverpool host Chelsea in the semi-final first leg on Tuesday with Rodgers yet to win a trophy or record a win over the Stamford Bridge club since becoming manager at Anfield in 2012. That task would be easier "if you're a manager that comes into a dressing room full of experienced players that have won consistently", said Rodgers, in what could be interpreted as an unsubtle dig at Mourinho's work with the Premier League leaders.

Mourinho appointed Rodgers as Chelsea’s youth team coach in 2004, but their friendship has deteriorated since the former returned to the English game in 2013. The Liverpool manager accused his Chelsea counterpart of parking two buses at Anfield last season, adding: “It’s not difficult to coach to just get 10 players right on your 18-yard box”, before calling Mourinho to apologise. Rodgers hopes to intensify the rivalry by reaching Wembley at Mourinho’s expense.

Waning friendship

“We probably don’t have as much contact now but the respect has not left,” he said before the semi-final, which will be concluded at Stamford Bridge next week. “The opportunity to work with him in that period of three-and-a-bit years was invaluable to me and hopefully in some ways I helped him because we had a lot of communication. But of course when you’re fighting for the same competition, the friendship . . .

“I have a huge respect for him, he’s a wonderful man and coach but you are so engrossed in your own work that you don’t communicate as much, you don’t have the conversations you had before and ultimately you become a rival. But certainly the respect hasn’t dropped or been lost. He is a good man.”

Rodgers orchestrated Liverpool’s strongest title challenge in 24 years last season, in only his second campaign in charge, but he admits the club needs to start winning trophies again. “Our objective this season is to win a trophy and to qualify for the Champions League,” said the manager, who confirmed he expects Divock Origi to remain on loan at Lille until the end of the season. Liverpool have offered a £3 million premium to advance the striker’s arrival.

Steven Gerrard remains doubtful for the semi-final because of a hamstring problem that caused him to miss Saturday’s win at Aston Villa. Mario Balotelli was also absent at Villa Park, because of illness, although that did not stop him dining out in Manchester on Sunday night. He complained of sickness on Monday.

Rodgers has not beaten Chelsea in five matches as the Liverpool manager and lost the last three with Mourinho at the helm. He admits a peak performance against the Stamford Bridge side is overdue.

“We don’t like to lose against anyone but I think in particular against Chelsea we haven’t played as well as we would have liked.”

Courtois return

Mourinho may hand

Thibaut Courtois

a first appearance in the Capital One Cup in tonight’s semi-final after the Belgian trained over the weekend without suffering pain from a thumb injury.

Courtois, outstanding this term since finally ending a three-year stint on loan at Atletico Madrid, fractured the thumb in the startling 5-3 defeat at Tottenham on New Year's Day. Petr Cech, having been restored to the starting XI, has been excellent and kept three successive clean sheets as Chelsea recovered their poise since that loss at White Hart Lane.

Chelsea have already won in the Premier League at Anfield this season, 2-1 back in November, though they travel to Merseyside braced for an awkward first leg with Liverpool having won six of their last eight games. "It's going to be a tough place to go," said John Terry. "Sturridge is close to coming back, Sterling looks like he's back as well and they proved, when we went up there in the league, that it's a tough game.

“You have to forget form and where they are, and everything else. That kind of goes out of the window. It’s Chelsea against Liverpool. It’s going to be tough over the two legs and I just hope we are strong enough.” Guardian Service