PEPE REINA has the credentials to join Liverpool's penalty shoot-out Hall of Fame... but he hopes he doesn't have to!
The Reds goalkeeper boasted an astonishing spot-kick record when he left Villarreal for Anfield last summer.
In his last season in Spain he saved seven out of the nine penalty kicks he faced.
He has faced one for Liverpool, against Chelsea at Anfield in October, when Frank Lampard scored.
But he is ready to become a reluctant hero in Cardiff.
"I have heard about goalkeepers being heroes in the FA Cup final, but I hope I don't have to be because that might mean it has gone to penalties," he explained. I prefer to win in 90 minutes.
"I practice penalties every day. We have competitions every day for lunches and dinners.
"I had a good reputation for penalty saving in Spain, but it makes me afraid to talk about it because people might think 'oh it's okay now we have gone to penalties - Pepe will save them.'
"It's a lottery. We have to focus for 90 minutes."
Reina, a losing semi-finalist in Spain in both the UEFA Cup and the Champions League, desperately hopes to claim his first winners medal on Saturday.
He added: "I have never played in a final. I have played in a Champions League semi-final, and a semi-final of the UEFA Cup, but this is my first big final and hopfully my first big victory.
"I am very excited about the FA Cup final. It is our most important game of the season."