Europa League – Match Preview: Liverpool versus Steaua Bucharest
Liverpool begin another famous European adventure as they welcome Steaua Bucharest to Anfield on a special European occasion. Europa League kicks off with full flight and Liverpool after missing out on a UEFA Champions League spot
this season will be working hard to bring the Europa League home following several years of silverware free football.
The English giants have begun their domestic campaign under their new coach, Roy Hodgson in unspectacular fashion as they drew against Birmingham City over the weekend in their fourth league match of the season. In their Premier
League match of the 2010-2011 season, they drew against Arsenal at Anfield and then went onto win against West Bromwich Albion after losing to Manchester City at the East lands stadium.
The most worrying part of this season’s Liverpool squad has been Fernando Torres, after winning the World Cup in the summer with his national team Spain in South Africa, Torres has been off form in the English Premier League. His
manager, Roy Hodgson who replaced Rafael Benitez in the summer transfer window after the end of the 2009-2010 season has come out and defended his star striker and attributed his lack of form to the frequent injuries that El Nino has been suffering.
The Kop will obviously be in full voice as Liverpool host Bucharest but against Birmingham at Saint Andrew’s, Liverpool’s faithful fans were treated to an unimpressive goalless draw which was a representation of watching the paint
dry and thus a creative performance against Bucharest on Thursday will work towards mending the thawed relationship between the Merseyside reds and their fans. Another Liverpool player who has yet to impress this season has been Steven Gerrard. The club captain
has been ineffective for his club side after being abysmal in the summer at the FIFA 2010 World Cup for England.
Liverpool qualified for the Europa League due to their seventh place finish in the English Premier League season for the year 2009-2010. Gerrard and Torres will both be looking to get back into form as Liverpool strive towards
getting their first three points of the Europa League campaign against Bucharest. However, Roy Hodgson is looking to act carefully as the weekend’s encounter with Manchester United looms closer. According to the latest reports, the ex-Fulham manager will rest
Torres, Gerrard and Carragher.
Roy is set to hand full debuts to Raul Mereiles who was a last minute signing for Liverpool from the Portuguese giants, Porto and Joe Cole who was this summer’s marquee signing for the Reds. In the last season’s Europa League,
Liverpool managed to embark on a good run which almost ended in a final appearance. The English giants were only denied that opportunity due to their semi-final defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid. Forlan scored for Madrid in extra time to seal his team’s
spot in the final of the tournament against Fulham, a match that Atletico won in extra time themselves.
The last meeting between these two sides came in the 2003-2004 UEFA Cup. Liverpool ended up as winners in that tie as they drew away from home in Romania and beat Bucharest at Anfield by a single goal to nil. Liverpool currently
have a good home record in the UEFA Cup/Europa League as they have been unbeaten at their home stadium in the past ten matches.
Liverpool’s opponents on Thursday night, Steaua Bucharest have had a lot of European success in the past but right now they are a fading force as far as European competitions are concerned, the Romanian club football giants will
be without Defender George Galamaz, Pablo Brandan, Marius Onofras and Marius Bilasco as these players are ineligible for selection. Liverpool will have to approach the match without Dirk Kuyt who is sidelined with a long term injury; Daniel Agger and Paul
Konchesky are both fit to start for the Reds along with Mereiles and Cole.
Liverpool should in all honesty win this match quite comfortably but given that Hodgson might actually leave out Torres and Gerrard from his line up might cause them a few concerns as far as their offense is concerned, nonetheless
if everything goes to order, Liverpool can be expected to win by a margin of more than a single goal.
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