Marseille coach Jose Anigo said that the players had expressed a desire to play Liverpool before the Uefa Cup fourth-round draw was made.
Anigo told his club's official website: "We had a little opinion poll this morning to see who we would like to play and about 90% voted for Liverpool.
"It's a real pleasure for me to discover English football at a stadium like Anfield.
"Being home for the second leg is certainly an advantage.
"It will be a festival for the fans but be careful. Just because I say 'festival' I don't mean 'we play, we lose and we go home'."
Anigo is looking forward to crossing swords with Liverpool's French manager Gerard Houllier.
"On a personal note it will ne nice to see Gerard Houllier again. I know his job is under threat at the moment but he is still a good coach.
"What impresses me most is their attack. With [Emile] Heskey, [Harry] Kewell and of course [Michael] Owen they are very fast.
"We will have to keep our defence on their toes."
Posted by anfieldreds
at 1:47 PM GMT
