Wanderers will be looking to pile the pressure on Rafael Benitez but Fernando Hierro believes his fellow Spaniard will eventually get it right at Anfield.

"Rafa is a manager with success written all over him," the veteran defender said of the man he knows well from their days together at Real Madrid.

"He is going to set Liverpool up for a very high position."

Benitez, the former Valencia boss who replaced Gerard Houllier in the Anfield hot seat last summer, learned his trade at the Bernabeu where he coached the youth team and worked as assistant to the successful head coach Vicente Del Bosque.

Still highly regarded in Spain, he has been hotly tipped to return to the top job at Real - speculation that has not helped his situation on Merseyside, where his achievements so far have not lived up to expectations and where supporters fear a lack of success this season could herald the departure of Steven Gerrard.

But Hierro says there is much more to the quiet man than meets the eye.

"He's got many skills and abilities," he said. "But perhaps what people do not know about him is his seriousness and his workrate. He is a great professional."

Hierro also believes another former Bernabeu buddy, £6.3m striker Fernando Morientes, has what it takes to become an Anfield legend.

Morientes has made a rapid recovery from a thigh injury and could play - a threat the Wanderers defence should be well aware of.

"He is one of the best centre-forwards in the world," Hierro said. "He is very strong in aerial play and I'm certain that, with a little more experience behind him in the Premier League, he will be a major player here.

"He has been injured and is not certain to play against us when we have to be aware that Liverpool could trip us up.

"We have a great opportunity to get a result that could help Bolton make history, which is what we are working towards, but we must stay focussed on each game and be fully aware of the importance to Bolton."