Liverpool fan Martin Stamper is hoping to have double reason to celebrate this weekend when the Team GB taekwondo Olympic hopeful looks to become European champion in Manchester.
The 25-year-old Merseysider is in action on Sunday, where he will look to add to the bronze medal he won at the World Championships in Korea and stay in pole position for selection at the pre-nominated under-68kgs category.
Stamper - who was Team GB Taekwondo's Athlete of the Year for 2011 - feels everything is set for a memorable weekend, with the Reds in action against Chelsea in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday.
"Usually the day before a competition I will watch a few of the fights at the venue, do some training and then go back to the hotel quite early just to chill out - so hopefully the match will go well and I can relax a bit, focus on the next day," Stamper said ahead of the European Championships, which start on Thursday.
"Preparation has been really good, I am feeling fit and strong, so it is now just about sharpening a few things ahead of the Europeans.
"I feel I have got the talent to do it, and if I can perform on the day, then I feel I am capable of getting a medal."
By his own admission, 2012 has so far not seen the best of Stamper, who was hampered by a groin injury and did not produce his best at the German and Dutch Opens.
However, with the opportunity of a shot at Olympic glory now very much in his sights, Stamper believes it is the little things which can make the biggest difference on the road to London this summer.
"I have not had the best results at my two major competitions this year, but I am hoping to have my form again coming into the Europeans," he said.
"I have been through those fights again with my coaches and taken some positives.
"I am working on anything extra I can to improve me for the Europeans and then on to the Olympics.
"I have my game, which has done so well in the past, now it is just the little tweaks that I need to work on.
"We have looked at everything we can to make sure I am in peak performance for the Euros."
With 100 per cent focus demanded by the Korean martial art, Stamper believes a "clear mind" must work alongside top physical condition to deliver Olympic success.
"We work with a psychologist once a week and she has been a big help with my performances," said Stamper, a silver medalist at the 2008 European Championships in Rome.
"For me, it is about keeping a clear mind and focus on what makes you the best fighter in the room.
"For some people it is going into a zone, for me it is just about being relaxed as possible, going into the right with no worries to fight my own game.
"If I do that, then I know nine times out of 10, I will come off the winner."
As well as under-68kgs, there will be Olympic places for under-80kgs and at under-67kg and under-57kg for women.
Team GB Taekwondo performance director Gary Hall is confident his elite fighters can rise to the challenge once again in Manchester.
Wales teenager Jade Jones fights at under-57kgs on Saturday, along with Aaron Cook, who last year decided to train outside the GB Academy in Manchester and is out to retain his under-80kg European title.
The final day's action will also see British Open champion Bianka Walkden drop down to under-67kgs, where she is standing in for the injured Sarah Stevenson.
