Liverpool v Unirea Urziceni – Reds looking for Europa League consolation

Liverpool enter on to the stage of the Europa League tonight, with a home tie against Unirea Urziceni. The Romanians, managed by ex-Chelsea player Dan Petrescu, made a good impact in the Champions League, and were unlucky not to get out of their group, finishing in third place on the last day. They even picked up a good 1-0 win over strong Spanish side Sevilla, and demolished Rangers 4-1 in the group. This may not be as easy a game as Liverpool would have hoped for, but at least they are still in European competition, the last piece of silverware they have a chance of winning.

The Reds still have to soldier on without star striker Fernando Torres, but boss Rafa Benitez has been boosted by the news that Jamie Carragher has recovered from a knock to take his place in the line up at Anfield. For all of their faults going forward, Liverpool have looked pretty solid at the back for the large part. That is something which they can actually build upon for next season, and take confidence from in going forward. The lack of creativity in midfield has hurt the Reds this season, and without Torres they have next to nothing up front. Granted they have been dogged by injury, and Benitez, in getting players back, will have some tough calls to make

Yossi Benayoun, who has been up there with the likes of Gerrard and Torres in terms of turning in good performances consistently this season when playing, is fit to play again, and he could come into the side at the expense of summer signing Alberto Aquilani, who has yet to show much return on his hefty transfer figure. The Reds can appease the Kop a little with a good run in the Europa League but need to improve massively on the sorts of performances which they turned out in the Group stages of the Champions League. During that they lacked inspiration and a cohesive game plan going forward. While results in the Premier League have showed signs of improvement, seeing the Reds playing their way into contention for the all important fourth place in the Premier League, there is still much work to be done by Benitez in ensuring Liverpool can get back to the standings where their fans expect them to be.

Liverpool to win: 3/10 at Totesport
Draw: 9/2 at Victor Chandler
Unirea Urziceni: 12/1 at Victor Chandler

Asian Handicap Betting Advice: Liverpool should be strong enough in defence to see their way through this tie. That won’t be enough though, as they need to get their noses in front in the first leg, so that they can ease the pressure off themselves for the return trip to Romania. They do have selection problems, but it will be another one of those surprises and upsets in their season if they do not get through this task.
Unirea Urziceni +1:  2/1 at Bet365