Premier League News: Liverpool to face unknown opponents; Craig Gordon fractures arm in training
Liverpool will face some unfamiliar opposition in the qualifying round of the Europa League. They will either face Rabotnicki, which play in Macedonia, or the Armenian club Mika. This is the third qualifying round of the Europa league, and The Reds find themselves in unfamiliar territory, having finished 7th in the league last season, meaning that they would not be able to play Champions League football this season. This was a disappointing season for the Reds, as they finished 2nd in the League table in the 08/09 season, losing just 1 match. They were defeated by eventual Europa League champions Atlético Madrid in the semifinals. Their opponents will be confirmed next week. Rabotnicki has taken the lead against Mika 1-0 in the first leg. Liverpool will play the first match at home on 29th July.
It would be the first competitive match for Roy Hodgson’s term at Liverpool. Hodgson is not new to the territory, as he led his former club Fulham to the Europa League final last season. Fulham showed great improvement, as they defeated Italian giants Juventus at home.
Fulham also had to face familiar opposition, as they also started from the third qualifying round. They defeated hosts Hamburg in the semifinal and reached the final to face eventual champions Atlético Madrid. They fought well, forcing the match into extra time. A goal from Golden Ball winner Diego Forlan sealed the fate for Fulham, as they lost 2-1. Hodgson would want to repeat his performance in the Europa League with Fulham, and perhaps win the title this time around.
In other news, Sunderland has officially announced that goalkeeper Craig Gordon fractured a bone in his arm and underwent an operation to repair the damage done. The club, however, didn’t give any dates as to when will the keeper will return, but he is expected to miss the start of the new season.
Assistant manager for the club, Eric Black, stated that Gordon fell pretty bad while training, and was writhing in pain. This meant that something had gone horribly wrong for the player, and everyone prayed that it was not something serious. It turned out that he had broken a bone in his arm, and was operated on Thursday. However, the doctors were happy with the operation, which is a huge relief for the player as well as the club. The player was, however, disappointed with the injury, as he had to sit out most of the last season owing to a similar injury. He is set to miss the pre-season campaign as well as the opening few matches of the new season.
"It's difficult for us to put a timescale on when he'll be back and available to play but he'll certainly miss the start of the season, that's a guarantee,” claimed Eric Black.
Craig Gordon joined Sunderland for a reported 9 million pounds from Heart of Midlothian, which was a record fee for a goalkeeper back in 2007. He has made 26 appearances for the Black Cats, but his last season campaign was affected owing to his injury. The 27 year old goalkeeper suffered a broken arm while tackling Tottenham Hotspurs striker Jermain Defoe in November 2009. This made him miss most of the first half of the season. He came back after a remarkable recovery in January 2010, and enjoyed his best form and fitness for his club. After some really impressive saves and performances, Gordon established himself as a first choice keeper, and was the key element in Sunderland’s 13th place finish in the league. He is now set to miss his International matches, when Scotland plays the Euro 2012 qualifying matches. Scotland is to play Lithuania and Liechtenstein, and Spain and Czech Republic in October. Gordon’s place is expected to be doubtful when his side faces World Champions Spain, which might be a huge blow for his International side.
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