Phillip Buckley
What: UEFA Europa League Playoff Round
Who: Trabzonspor vs Liverpool
When: Thursday 26th August, 2010, at 18:30 UK Time
Where: Avni Aker Stadium, Trabzon, Turkey
Time for a Famous Victory?
Trabzonspor went away from the first leg at Anfield reasonably happy with their night’s work. Losing 1-0 would not have been sniffed at if offered before the match and in truth, the Super Lig side could have had few complaints had they lost 2-0 or 3-0. For the first half they surprised Liverpool with some slick passing and their play had an air of confidence; a goal conceded just before the break knocked the stuffing out of Senol Gunes side. The second half saw Liverpool dominate and the Turks must be wary of losing their rhythm once again.
On Monday night Trabzonspor faced fierce rivals Fenerbahce. Despite claiming a 3-2 win over the Istanbul giants, it was a tough game that the Black Sea Storm could arguably have done without, with coach Gunes commenting: “It was really tiring, the game was on the line for most of the time”. Trabzonspor will hope to take the confidence gained in that victory and use it to record a famous win over Liverpool. The 1-0 deficit means that, with a full house behind them, Senol Gunes’ side will be ready to attack from the off and put Liverpool under all kinds of pressure.
Don’t Talk About Eastlands
Liverpool need to forget about their 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Manchester City on Monday as soon as possible. The Reds looked off the pace and unable to cope with the quality brimming through Roberto Mancini’s side. What may most concern Liverpool fans was Roy Hodgson’s decision to go with a 4-4-2 formation at Eastlands when it was clear they would be on the back foot. David Ngog and Fernando Torres have rarely played as a strike pairing, and against City it showed.
Hodgson knows, on the back of such a damaging defeat, it would be unwise to further worry the Anfield support by crashing out of the Europa League. The former Fulham boss finds himself in a difficult situation, heading to Turkey will just the single goal lead. Fernando Torres looked short of match sharpness; will Hodgson start him? And can the Englishman react quickly if Liverpool go a goal down? Against City, Hodgson did not make his first change until the 78th minute, with the game already well and truly lost.
Recent form
Trabzonspor:
Ankaragucu 0-2 Trabzonspor (15/08; Super Lig)
Liverpool 1-0 Trabzonspor (19/08; Europa League)
Trabzonspor 3-2 Fenerbahce (23/08; Super Lig)
Liverpool:
Liverpool 1-1 Arsenal (15/08; Premier League)
Liverpool 1-0 Trabzonspor (19/08; Europa League)
Manchester City 3-0 Liverpool (23/08; Premier League)
Key absences
Trabzonspor: None
Liverpool: Steven Gerrard; Fernando Torres; Maxi Rodriguez; Daniel Agger
Players to watch
Trabzonspor – Ibrahima Yattara: The Guinea star was surprisingly left on the bench in the first leg and only introduced late on at Anfield. Yattara is Trabzonspor’s club captain and the pacey winger is capable of little spells of magic. Against Fenerbahce on Monday night be produced a delightful little lob for his side’s second. There’s no doubt that in a game where Trabzonspor need to score, Yattara can make a big impact.
Liverpool – David Ngog: With Fernando Torres missing the trip to Turkey, French forward David Ngog will be more crucial than ever. Ngog has already notched goals in this competition, bagging those which ensured progression against Rabotnicki. With chances in Turkey likely to be at a premium, Ngog must take those that come his way – especially if he wants to convince Roy Hodgson to continue to place his trust in him.
Match prediction
It’s hard to see Liverpool keeping Trabzonspor out for 90 minutes, but that doesn’t mean the tie is lost. The Turks may be quite an attacking force on their day, but Roy Hodgson’s side still have the firepower to make a dent. Look for Trabzonspor to come flying out of the blocks and grab a goal, but Liverpool will gradually begin to control the ball and grab a second. 1-1 looks about right.
