There will be three Premiership clubs involved in Europa League action on Thursday, with bookmakers anticipating wins all around judging by their odds on all three contests. But just how promising are our English prospects?
This competition is not received in the highest regard by most of our clubs, despite the tournament having undergone a makeover in recent times. I’m a big fan personally, but some Premier League managers are not of the same opinion unfortunately. Alan Pardew and Brendan Rodgers being two: the Newcastle and Liverpool managers respectively rang the changes for their team’s opening group encounters, in which the Magpies were held to a goalless draw by Martimo in Portugal and Liverpool won an eight-goal thriller 5-3 in Switzerland against Young Boys.
Stoke chief Tony Pulis was an exception last season, and it could just be that Andre Villas-Boas – manager of FC Porto when they were crowned Europa League champions two seasons ago – could adopt the same approach as he goes in search of a third consecutive European title, with the Portuguese maestro of the opinion that he played a key role in his former club, Chelsea, securing the Champions League last season. As for his current employers, Tottenham have not reigned supreme on the continent since their capture of the UEFA Cup back in 1984.
Liverpool V Udinese (20:05 GMT) – Liverpool to WIN @ 4/6 wit Bet365
I shall start with who I believe, of the three, boast the stronger claims, and that is Liverpool. Now, I reached this conclusion before Brendan Rodgers named his squad for Thursday, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure who the likely contenders are for a starting place.
Rodgers’s team-sheet should contain a combination of those currently on the periphery of the first team – Sebastian Coates, Jose Enrique, Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing and Fabio Borini to name but a few – playing alongside a few youngsters and, because there is no travelling involved what with it being at Anfield, possibly a few of the first team that could do with a run-out before this weekend’s home clash with Stoke City on Sunday.
So it will be a strong Liverpool team regardless. Granted there will be several suffering from a lack of confidence in the fold, but their ailing morale individually cannot possibly be any lower than that of Udinese collectively. That is because the Zebrette sit 15th in Serie A after an horrific start to the new season which has seen them record just one win from their first six matches (W1 D3 L2), firing a blank for the second week running in a goalless home draw with Genoa on Sunday.
The only fear factor with this Udinese side lies exclusively in their star striker, 34-year-old Antonio Di Natale who has been prolific in Italy for some time now, ending the 2009-10 and 2010-11 as leading marksmen, and will be determined to put in a performance after reportedly being dropped by his manager at the weekend following an alleged spat with a senior first-team member in the dressing room. It was the Italian international whom struck a last-gasp equaliser to salvage a point at home to Russian side Anzhi on matchday one. Give him the time and space and he will punish any defence.
Apart from the obvious though, the aforementioned Di Natale, this Udinese team appear harmless on paper. Several of their promising players were snapped up over the summer, those that starred in the team’s impressive third-place finish last term. So I’m expecting nothing less than victory here for Liverpool, whose starting XI on the night should be brimming with individuals determined to prove a point to manager Brendan Rodgers, who hasn’t been shy when it comes to handing out trial run-ins in the first-team (Andre Wisdom, Raheem Sterling and Suso were among those to star in Saturday’s 5-2 thrashing of Norwich).
Newcastle V Bordeaux (20:05 GMT) – DRAW @ 12/5 with Ladbrokes
On numerous occasions now, Alan Pardew has been asked for his opinion on where the Europa League falls on his list of priorities for the upcoming term. His response on every occasion has been consistent at least; ‘way below the Premier League’. The goal this season is a top-four finish and securing Champions League football according to the Magpies boss, a feat his team came agonisingly close to achieving last season.
Nine points from their opening six fixtures is a decent enough start, but Sunday sees them welcome Manchester United to St James’ Park. Therefore predicting the strength of the Newcastle starting XI on Thursday shouldn’t be all that difficult. It was a weakened side which fired a blank in Portugal in their opening Group D encounter, away in Maritimo, and it will more than likely be a similarly understrength outfit who welcome a buoyant Bordeaux to the north-east of England – a team who were not only resounding 4-0 winners over the current Belgian league pacesetters Club Brugge on matchday one, but one whom went to Stade de Gerland at the weekend, the home of Lyon, and left 2-0 victors.
Indeed, this Bordeaux outfit will provide a stern examination for Newcastle’s bit-part performers. Unbeaten in all competitions since the season commenced, Les Girondins will go mighty close to recording their maiden victory over English opposition – at the ninth time of asking – were they to record their fifth consecutive clean sheet away from home, although they would need to find a first goal in five visits to these shores in order to comply. And they should do just that on Thursday, notch at least a goal that is, up against a makeshift Newcastle defence shorn of so many of their regular back-four, with Steven Taylor, Danny Simpson and Fabricio Coloccini all out injured, along with goalkeeper Tim Krul.
I’m also inclined to have a small wager on both teams finding the net (10/11 with Bet365), as while Bordeaux arrive in England with an impressive shut-out record on their travels this season, strikers of the quality of Demba and Papiss Cisse are few and far between in French Ligue 1. One of either Ba or Cisse will lead the line, possibly both but unlikely seeing as Shola Ameobi will want gametime, and that should guarantee a goal or two in front of a decent turnout at St James’ – though I envisage the visitors matching them blow-for-blow.
Panathinaikos V Tottenham (18:00 GMT) – Tottenham to WIN @ 11/10 with PaddyPower
Andre Villas-Boas wasn’t allowed the opportunity to defend his Europa League crown secured at the helm of FC Porto in 2011 due to being handed the reigns at Chelsea the following season. We all know how that ended. Therefore the Portuguese tactician may well be of the opinion that this competition is his to defend, while there is no doubting that he has the quality of personnel at his disposal to do so at Tottenham.
Whether it was because the match was played at White Hart Lane and there was no travelling involved, I don’t know, but Villas-Boas named a surprisingly strong team for the Group J opener at home to Lazio. A 0-0 draw was a fair result, although Lazio did spurn a glorious opportunity or two as a Tottenham XI boasting several first-team regulars – Kyle Walker, Sandro, Moussa Dembele, Aaron Lennon, Gareth Bale and Jermain Defoe were among the starters – failed to assert themselves. Now they must make the long trek down to Greece, where a Panathinaikos side who were thrashed 3-0 away from home by Maribor first time out await.
Merely going by the inept display of the Greeks in Slovenia on matchday one, I’d make Spurs overwhelming favourites. Moreover, there is nobody in this Panathinaikos squad to put the frighteners on this supremely talented Spurs lot, who, even if they do kick-off much-changed, should have far too much going forward for a team who languish fifth from bottom back home, having conjured just three goals thus far including a blank at home at the weekend. They’ve not even faced one of the perennial big-hitters in Greece yet, of AEK Athens, PAOK and Olympiakos.
I do expect Villas-Boas to make changes from the team who put in a fair old shift at Old Trafford on Saturday, in a stunning 3-2 success. Nonetheless, Tottenham should have far too much class for their average opposition. And if the likes of Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon, Clint Dempsey and Jermain Defoe do start, well, the result should be a foregone conclusion despite what is normally a hostile, partisan environment.
Predictions: Liverpool & Tottenham both to WIN; Newcastle to Draw.
Treble on all three outcomes returns odds of 10/1 with Ladbrokes.
