STEPHEN Warnock knows he may cause a family feud should Blackburn Rovers beat Liverpool on Sunday.

But the former Reds defender says he will be gunning for his former side as he bids to help his current employers back into European football next season.

The Warnock family are split into red and blue factions, and the bragging rights will most definitely be up for grabs come Sunday night.

And although Warnock was cheering his old team-mates on to victory against Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night, the Rovers left-back doesn't have any regrets about leaving his hometown club.

The 26-year-old spent seven years at Anfield but was left languishing on the bench for most of it.

He made just 40 appearances for Liverpool before his £1.5m switch to Ewood Park in January 2007.

But Warnock said he was looking forward to returning to Anfield.

He said: "It's my first time back there so it'll probably feel quite strange, but I've been here for over a year now and I've moved on. I've enjoyed my time here.

"I don't wish I was still there. I'm playing regularly at Blackburn now and that's something I didn't really do at Anfield.

"My family are split between Liverpool and Everton.

"My mum is a Red and her dad was so it promises to be an interesting day.

"The Kop always welcome old boys back but it's not about that for me.

"I just want to go there and play well for my manager at Blackburn.

"If I have anything to prove it's to Mark Hughes, to show him it was the right decision to bring me here.

"I try and do that every game. It'll be no different on Sunday."

Warnock came through the Anfield academy at the same time as Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, who have gone on to establish themselves as legends with the Liverpool fans.

But the Rovers star reckons that whoever Rafa Benitez puts out, Warnock is confident that he and his colleagues can take something away from Anfield.

He added: "It's going to be a difficult couple of games for us but we've got to be confident going to Anfield.

"We don't know until the day which players we'll be up against. But they look good for fourth place so the Champions League will be the big thing for them.

"Whichever team they play we'll be looking to go there and get a result - and hope to get them on an off-day.

"It's possible that it might be a good time to play them but they do have strength in depth.

"They brought Peter Crouch in from the cold for the league and European games against Arsenal.

"He'd make it into most teams outside the top four, a few of them in the top four as well apart from Liverpool.

"The likes of Jermaine Pennant and Steve Finnan can also come in.

"Whatever team they put out will be a tough test for us, we know that."

A trip to Anfield is followed by a home game against Manchester United and then the long journey to Fratton Park to face Portsmouth before fin-ishing with games against Derby and Birmingham.

And Warnock believes the next couple of games will shape their season.

"If we can come through these next couple and stay in touch for Europe then we'd take that," he said.

"You have to fancy ourselves against the likes of Birmingham and Derby in the last couple.

"We'd expect ourselves to be beating teams like that if we've any ambitions of getting into Europe."