Match Day Thread 2015/16 Premier League, Cups & Euro Watch

Alternatively he could keep quiet and hope nobody notices

 

Rubin Kazan

The Russian Premier League side overcame Sturm Graz of Austria 4-3 on aggregate in the third qualifying round, and then secured a place in the group stage after a 2-1 aggregate victory over Macedonian outfit FK Rabotnicki.

They are currently second from bottom in the Russian Premier League and this will be the first ever meeting between the two sides in Europe.

Rubin secured a famous win over Barcelona in October 2009 when they beat the Spanish giants 2-1 at the Nou Camp in the Champions League.

Former Everton winger Diniyar Bilyaletdinov plays for Rubin while his father, Rinat, is the manager.

Former Liverpool Academy defender Chris Mavinga is on the books of Rubin Kazan but he is currently out on loan at French outfit Troyes.

Bordeaux

Like Rubin Kazan, the French outfit have played two games to reach the group stage. In the third qualifying round they overcame AEK Lamaca of Cyprus 4-0 on aggregate, and in the play-offs beat FC Kairat Almaty on away goals after a 2-2 aggregate scoreline.

Former Bayern Munich and France international star Willy Sagnol is in charge of their side and they finished sixth in Ligue 1 last season.

Liverpool last met Bordeaux in Europe in the Champions League group stage back in 2006. The Reds won 1-0 in France, before goals from Luis Garcia (2) and Steven Gerrard completed a 3-0 success at Anfield.

Istanbul hero Vladimir Smicer had a spell with Bordeaux when he left Liverpool in 2005.

FC Sion

This is the first time the Swiss outfit have ever reached the group stages of the Europa League.

They finished seventh in the Swiss Super League last year and qualified for the group stages after winning the Swiss Cup with a 3-0 win over FC Basel in the final.

Liverpool recorded an 8-4 aggregate win over FC Sion in the European Cup Winners' Cup second round in 1996-97, winning 2-1 in Switzerland and 6-3 at Anfield.

 

pity nobody plays their best team in it.

 

16/1 available:

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

the 25/1 available on Athletic Bilbao is far better value IMO. they are decent and spanish have a very good recent record in this comp!

 

@Tobes was offering 25-1 for Liverpool but maybe #bottledit

 

25/1 on them eh.... hmmmmm you might just be onto something there.

certainly i feel the italian clubs aint too interested unless theres nothing esle for them at all come the end.

We seem to be find til round of 32 over here then all the english clubs go.. ah here you force us to pile in 4 games in the space of 4 weeks in january right after league cups and christmas and we all lose then... thats the real issue for english clubs

 

At 100000000000000000/1 you would still be throwing money away.

 

I remember the year Utd and City were dumped out of the CL and their fans started bleating about they would win the EL. They promptly got schooled by Bilbao and Ath Madrid.

The Spanish league may be a 2 horse race most of the time but the those are 2 VERY GOOD horses and the 3rd-7th teams are pretty decent in their own right as shown by recent European results. A check will show Spain's co-efficient is miles in front of anyone else based on BOTH Barca and Real's performances and those of Ath Madrid, Valencia and Sevilla etc

25/1 on Bilbao and to a lesser extent Villareal is real value. Even when the 8 CL rejects arrive, there is a very good chance they will be in the mix come QF time and the 25/1 can be laid off on Betfair for a profit.

 

Wasn't talking about Man Utd in the CL

 

No. No you didnt. Ever.

 

Obviously. I was talking about the side most likely to embarrassed the country in Europe... No prizes for guessing its Liverpool.

The kind of club ran by such a bunch of clowns they hire a manager who plays a weakened side against Madrid....

 

So do you think you should try your best to win it or not? To me this looks like try as long as it doesn't affect your league games.

 

Quite simple.....

You win the home games and select the 3 away games like going to Russia more carefully.

I would say... with time zone and cold we should try and control that as a 0-0 or nick a goal as it is before everton game.

Then you play better sides at home to win group if you can..... quite simple really.

If you can win the group with Ings origi etc great but there no harm getting the bigger guys into it at home.

My personal view is a choice between league cup and europa has got to be made and I'd expect to see the team I named play carlisle and if they go through to continue that way.

League cup semi plus europa round of 32 is a heavy fixture set after Christmas.

 

Oh and the post was very specifically about away at Rubin.... not at Bordeaux or sion

 

Europa League fixture list

September 17 (6pm) – Bordeaux (A)

October 1 (8.05pm) – FC Sion (H)

October 22 (8.05pm) – Rubin Kazan (H)

November 5 (6pm) – Rubin Kazan (A)

November 26 (8.05pm) – Bordeaux (H)

December 10 (6pm) – FC Sion (A)

@johnsonsbaby

The fixtures do not actually follow the regulations at all... Nov 5th for away trip to Russia.

 

Last time we played in Russia in the EL we played a league game on the following Sunday and Swansea in the LC semi final on the Tuesday.

3 games in 5 days(including a return trip to Russia).

 

We lost the anzi game 1-0 in 2012 playing a ****e team but I think we got through anyway. ... barely.

It's really a case of going and winning the first 3 games and then taking a measured approach in that game

 

If Rodgers names a full strength squad for the EL he cant play kids if and when it suits him, can he?

 

Great idea, if you played all your home games first so you knew you had already won them

 

Fair enough