This is the Blood Red Podcast from the Liverpool Echo, giving you the inside track on all the big talking points from Anfield.

Back in June, Liverpool added to their illustrious European history, lifting a sixth European cup in

Madrid as Tottenham hotspur were seen off. Yet while that came off the backdrop of a

titanic title race in the Premier League and making up for a missed

opportunity in Kyiv 12 months earlier the Red's previous European triumph was anything

but. Head back to the summer of 2004 and after six years of Gerald Jerrod Hulier's solo reign at

Anfield, Raffa Benitez was ushered in during a period of change.

Not only had Hulier departed, but the likes of Owen, Hescy and Murphy, all key parts of the

treble winning side just three years previous were also on their way before the new campaign had started.

But what was to follow has gone down not only in Liverpool folklore, but sporting history.

Come May 2005, Liverpool having failed to secure a lucrative top- four finish saw their Champions League future hanging

by a thread as they took on an Imperius AC Milan in the competition's showpiece final.

The word Istanbul holds more weight than just the name of an Eastern European city.

To some it's simply the pinnacle.

15 years on here on the Blood Red podcast will be bringing you a 13 part series reliving

and documenting the Reds road to the final on each Champions

lead match day. From the players and those working in the background to journalists,

pundits and most importantly fans will hear the stories and tales as Liverpool cemented

their place in European history forevermore.

I'm Guy Clark and this is the Road to Istanbul 15 years on and for our first installment is one of the

echoes many resident Reds and that is Dan Caye Dan thanks for joining us and

mention it there the word is Istanbul it does carry a fair bit of weight it does and I think for the last 15 years for me and I think countless of the last 15 years, for me and I think countless of the Liverpoolans, all it takes is the mention, even the thought of that word to bring us out in a daft grin and big smiles and fond memories, which really has actually only been cemented

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