Europa League play-off qualifier: Liverpool v Trabzonspor
Liverpool are having to get used to not playing in the Champions League after a woeful campaign last season.
Having beaten FK Rabotnicki in the previous round, their opponents tonight in the Europa League present a tougher encounter for the five-time European Cup winners.
Trabzonspor are the current Türkiye Kupasi (Turkish Cup) and Süper Kupasi (Turkish Super Cup) champions, and outside of Istanbul, where Galatasaray, Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe are based, they are the most successful Süper Lig (Turkish National League) winners, claiming it six times in their 43-year history.
Liverpool will have not so good memories of playing Trabzonspor, as en route to their first European Cup triumph in the 1976/77 season, the Turks stunned Bob Paisley’s men 1-0 in Trabzon in the second round. Liverpool did turn the tie around, winning 3-0 at Anfield, but it was an experience they don’t want to come across again in 2010, and Liverpool legend David Fairclough has warned the current crop to get a decent result before they head for the second-leg in Turkey next week.
“We can't leave too much to chance tonight ahead of the return,” he said. Liverpool have played in one of Europe’s most hostile atmospheres before in recent Champions League matches, and Fairclough has highlighted this. “But we know just how passionate the Turkish fans are from recent trips to Galatasaray and Beşiktaş.”
New Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson took his previous club Fulham to the Europa League final last season, but came up short against an inspired Diego Forlán and Atlético Madrid. Liverpool handed a point - or rather goalkeeper Pepe Reina did - to Arsenal in their opening Premier League match in the 1-1 draw on Sunday, and despite playing the whole second half with 10 men almost secured a hard-fought victory.
Joe Cole was sent off for Liverpool against Arsenal and will miss the next three league games, but will be available for Europe. However, one man who is missing is Javier Mascherano, who has been ruled out through injury. The captain of Argentina has stated he would like to move away from Liverpool, with Inter Milan and a reunion with former manager Rafael Benitez a strong possibility.
Hodgson however wants to play him provided he is fit, and that would mean he would be cup-tied in Europe should he move clubs. “I don't want to let Javier go and at the moment he has shown no signs of going,” he said.
Mascherano’s exit from Anfield looked on the cards with the arrival of Christian Poulsen, but Hodgson insists this is not the case. “I believe Javier Mascherano is going to play for us and I believe Christian Poulsen is going to play for us. We can have both players. This is a big club and a club with a lot of games to play this year hopefully.”
One man who does work hard for Liverpool is Dirk Kuyt and the Dutch international is relishing the chance to play. “You always have to be ready and get your results in early in the season,” he said.
“We want to stay in the Europa League so we need a good result. We know from our games against Galatasaray and Besiktas that it can be difficult in Turkey, so we need a good result in the first-leg.”
Trabzonspor manager Şenol Güneş was in goal for the Turkish side when they crossed paths with Liverpool in 1976. Taking charge of the club for the fifth time in his managerial career, Güneş is the man who successfully guided Turkey to third place in the 2002 World Cup and scooped the accolade of Uefa coach of the year in the same year.
“Of course conditions are very different now compared to then,” he said. “Now any team can beat another and levels between sides are becoming more balanced. Beating teams like this is really important to us.”
Recent signing Jajá joins fellow Brazilian Alanzinho, and they form part of the team that is carried by club captain Ibrahim Yattara. The Guinean international is a threat and has served his club well for the last seven years. As one of the Süper Lig’s best attacking players, he constantly provides assists for his teammates. Up front, Teófilo Gutiérrez is the form player, scoring a hat-trick in Trabzonspor’s 3-0 win against Süper Lig champions Bursaspor in the Süper Kupasi, and will also be one of the players to watch.
Liverpool are expected to progress comfortably, but Güneş could drill his side well to provide a stubborn resistance.
Prediction: Liverpool 2 Trabzonspor 1
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