The 6ft 7in Crouch was not yet a Liverpool player when the Anfield side pulled off their stunning win over Milan in Istanbul two years ago, making the move from Southampton that summer.

However, 25-year-old Kaka believes 26-year-old Crouch's addition to the squad since that epic win gives Liverpool an extra dimension.

Kaka told Milan Channel: "He's a dangerous player in the air, when the ball is in the area he's always an opportunist.

"We have to pay attention to him if he plays."

Not that Kaka is anticipating an easy ride if Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez should decide to keep the England striker out of his starting line-up.

"If a different one plays there will be other things we have to worry about," said Kaka.

The Brazilian said the dramatic defeat of 2005, when Milan lost on penalties having led 3-0 at half-time, had no bearing on his thinking ahead of the two teams' rematch in Athens.

"For me the motivation is to get to a final and have the possibility of winning the Champions League," he added.

"Everyone's talking about revenge for what happened in 2005. I think what happened is a thing of the past.

"It happened. We lost that final, Liverpool were the champions and it'll always be remembered that way."

Kaka also revealed a begrudging respect for the Anfield side's often-criticised style.

"I think Liverpool, differently from Manchester United, play a game that's very characteristic of English football," he said.

"They're a very well-trained team by Benitez and a very tactical team, they mark tight and have all the traits of an English team.

"Steven Gerrard is an excellent, modern player because he's a player who runs, marks, knows how to pass, cross, score goals, and is a leader in the field for Liverpool.

"He's a player that I'd like to have in my team."

Kaka is confident that the mood in the Rossoneri camp is positive with Carlo Ancelotti's side looking to avenge the Istanbul setback which denied Milan what would have been a seventh European Cup/Champions League win.

"Training went well today, we talked about certain things that will be important in the game," said Kaka on Sunday.

"Even today, I saw that the side was in good shape. We are tranquil and relaxed: we know our own strength and what we can do."

Kaka admitted it took Milan a long time to recover from a difficult start to the season with the club handed an eight-point deduction for their role in the match-fixing scandal that rocked Italian football last summer.

"Bit by bit we managed to gain the confidence that we would reach another final, and that desire to win has grown," said the Latin American.

"We are in the final so we have a chance of winning it, that would be wonderful."

Kaka may be the brightest current star in the Milan firmament but he also praised Ancelotti for managing to keep the team focused on the job in hand.

"Carlo is special, he knows how to manage the group, manage people, this is all very important in football," said Kaka.

"Milan is full of stars, many great players and they need a coach as good as this."

Ancelotti has admitted that he has two doubts about his starting line-up with injury concerns about the 38-year-old captain Paolo Maldini, a man who made his Serie A debut for the San Siro club back in 1985 at the age of 16.

The man who was a player in the great Milan side of the late 1980s and coached Milan to their sixth European Cup/Champions League in 2003 also is undecided about whether Alberto Gilardino or fellow World Cup winner Filippo Inzaghi will start up front in the Greek capital.