Bordeaux away

[mouse1989]

A host of changes?

 

Sakho, Moreno, Ibe and Origi all to start

[an tha]

These drew 2-2 away at PSG in their last game - so they aren't a bad side

 

If they score 2 on Thursday then it is a pretty safe bet to say they will win the game.

 

You would like to think there would be a reaction from us after the last two games, but to be honest I don't expect one.

[Dr. J]

They were all over PSG in that game and managed a draw after having a player sent off. No pushover.

[Redder Lurtz]

Je l'espère nous faire battre

[ZonkoVille77]

We're fucked

[Denny Crane]

It's quite fitting we start our European adventure in France after last seasons feeble surrender.

 

 

Allez les rouges

[Redder Lurtz]

The fuck's with all the 6pm kickoffs?

[Jairzinho]

The fuck's with all the 6pm kickoffs?

 

[VERBAL DIARRHEA]

Mignolet

 

Clyne Skrtel Sakho Moreno

 

Can Lucas

 

Firmino Coutinho Milner

 

Benteke

 

Our line-up if all fit for me in any game would be Henderson for Lucas and Sturridge for Milner. Coutinho dropping left and Sturridge a bit further forward behind Benteke.

[Redder Lurtz]

Play two up top you shiny toothed halfwit.

[the chimp]

Back on the European stage again eh . . .

 

[TheHowieLama]

[Lario]

We could make 11 changes, win 6-0, and he'll still return to type against Norwich.

[Original202]

The last time we were there in 2006:

 

Reina, Finnan, Hyypia, Carragher, Riise, Luis Garcia, Alonso, Zenden, Gonzalez (Sissoko 68), Crouch (Kuyt 65), Bellamy (Warnock 87). 

 

Subs Not Used: Dudek, Pennant, Paletta, Peltier.

 

No Gerrard, Aurelio or Agger in that team and Mascherano and Arbeloa would sign for us later that season. We had so many options back then with real strength in depth and experience, not just a large squad full of ordinary players.

[Penfold]

You could see the way the squad developed from 2005, to the 2006 squad mentioned above to the team that came second in 2008-09. The manager then had a plan, not every transfer came off but a damn sigh more than does now before C&A really fecked things up.

[xerxes]

We are the richest club in the EL by a long way- some 40m euros ahead of the second richest, Dortmund.

 

Nothing less than a semi final appearance will do.

 

Sadly when you look at the credentials of Bordeaux's manager, Sagnol, who has played in Euro and World Cup finals tournaments as an international , had a distinguished playing career with Monaco and Bayern Munich winning league titles and a CL final , you suspect that Brendan may have his work cut out.

[manwiththestick]

Is there a manager that against whom he won't have his work out?

[Jairzinho]

http://www.oddschecker.com/football/europa-league/winner

 

We're joint second favourites with Napoli at 16/1. Dortmund favourites at 8s.

 

Looking through that I wouldn't fancy our chances against any of the top dozen or so teams.

[ZonkoVille77]

I'm actually past caring anymore.

[an tha]

Is there a manager that against whom he won't have his work out?

Mike Bassett, with a bit of luck - maybe

[Liverpool lad]

All this carry on about Liverpool existing to win trophies is bollocks nowadays, we won't get anywhere near winning this with the manager and the shite team he has assembled.

 

I fucking hate this Europa League format, and anyone who tries to draw parallels with 2001 can piss off too. One joke of a competition and Rodgers will bumble through until he meets decent opposition and then we will get our arses smacked. Sooner we are out of this the better

[xerxes]

One joke of a competition and Rodgers... Sooner we are out of this the better

I can't understand why you think that.

 

The bookies have us third favourites, in terms of cash we should be leading favourites. Our history is one of Euro glory, since the inception of the PL it has been the only thing to distinguish us, and it now carries a CL place which we are odds against to qualify for on league finish.

 

Surely we should be resting players in preceding PL games to give a competition we CAN win priority?

[TheHowieLama]

Spill the wine.

[Jairzinho]

Do you think we've more chance of winning this than finishing 4th, Xerxes?

 

Far more chance (although still not much of a chance mind) of Rodgers stumbling upon something and us going on a run in the league winning loads of games 6-5 than him managing to beat four well drilled, well managed, European sides over two legs (and then a final of course), in my opinion.

 

We'll scrape through the group then get knocked out in the round of 32 or 16.

[TheHowieLama]

Agree there - the money is indicative of an imbalance in revenue between the leagues and is not indicative of our quality nor does it translate into results for us or anyone in England.

 

EDIT - actually the great Rafa Benitez was able to make it work for Chelsea.