MARTIN SKRTEL is adamant Liverpool FC remain on course to achieve their targets this season – as they aim to secure a treble of sorts.

Kenny Dalglish’s side have already secured a first Wembley appearance in almost 16 years by booking a date in the Carling Cup final later this month.

Despite last Saturday’s Premier League defeat at Manchester United, Liverpool remain only four points adrift of their main priority of fourth place and a crack at Champions League qualification.

And with a home FA Cup fifth round tie against npower Championship side Brighton and Hove Albion to come on Sunday, Skrtel has set his sights on a cup double.

“At the start of the season our targets were to qualify for the Champions League and to win some trophies,” said the Slovakia international.

“Now we are in the Carling Cup final, still in the FA Cup and close to the top four – our targets are still reachable.

“It’s up to us to ensure we qualify for the Champions League. When you look at our games with the teams who are in those positions at the moment I don’t think they are that much better than us.

“We’ve had close games with (Manchester) City, (Manchester) United and Spurs and we beat Chelsea. I believe we can get there.

“We just need to focus on the next game and try to win that. Then, when all the games are played, we’ll see how many points we have at the end.”

Liverpool’s last silverware was their FA Cup win in 2006 but despite the history of the competition Skrtel believes the Carling Cup has equal significance for them, not least because it will guarantee a route back into Europa albeit via the Europa League.

“Some people say the FA Cup is more important than the Carling Cup,” he said. “I don’t see it that way.

“They are both trophies and if you win one or the other you qualify for Europe.

“I want to win both of them. I don’t think one is more important than the other.”