After back-to-back loss in the English Premier League against West Ham and Manchester United, Liverpool have a huge task in their hands as they face Bordeaux for their Europa League Group B away tie at Nouveau Stade de in Bordeaux. Rubin Kazan from Russia and Sion from Switzerland make up the other two teams in the group.
The Reds' manager Brendan Rodgers will go into the match with huge pressure on his shoulders for his team's performance has been criticised by fans and experts alike. It is imperative for Liverpool to start their Europa League campaign with a win against Bordeaux and help them increase their confidence, which might have stooped low with their recent results.
Liverpool should be relieved that they are not playing an in form team on Thursday. Bordeaux have been below par this season in their domestic competition – Ligue 1 – where they lie on 12th position with one win from five games. However, Bordeaux can draw inspiration from their last result against PSG, which they drew 2-2.
Both teams should be eager to get back to their winning ways and despite Bordeaux's form, they are not going to make life any easier for Liverpool, who have travelled long distance to face the home team. One thing is assured, Bordeaux will give it their all against Liverpool, who posess some dangerous players up front such as Christian Benteke, Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino.
The trio might not have been on top form in the EPL, but they will want to gel together as a unit in France and score goals.
Bordeaux player, Wahbi Khzari, is aware of the threat the trio brings. "You have to keep an eye on every player in a team like this. Beyond that, it's true that the three attacking players, [Philippe] Coutinho, [Christian] Benteke and [Roberto] Firmino have the ability to make the difference," Khzari told the club's official website. "So we have to be especially vigilant."
However, Rodgers' might make some crucial changes in the team as well, which opens the door for defender Mamadou Sakho as well. The Reds' are going to be buoyed with Coutinho being available for the game as he missed out the last EPL game after a red card against West Ham. The Brazilian is the catalyst of the team at the offensive end.
There is no short of quality players in Liverpool's line up, but they have not been able to score goals, which seems to be a major concern. Benteke, who has been their major signing this season, is a huge threat in the air, but has not been receiving such kind of balls, which makes him a dangerous player.
Rodgers believes that they need to create more opportunities to score goals.
"Over the first five games now creating more goals is something we need to look at. We haven't created anywhere near as much as what I would have liked. That is something I need to look at with the coaches and staff," Goal quoted Rodgers as saying.
Where to Watch Live
Bordeaux vs Liverpool match has been scheduled for 7pm local time (10:30pm IST, 6pm BST, 1pm ET) start. Viewers in India can watch the Europa League match on Ten Action with live streaming option on Ten Sports Live.
Viewers in the UK can watch the Bordeaux vs Liverpool match live on BT Sport Europe with live streaming option on Watch BT Sport.
US viewers have the option of catching the Bordeaux vs Liverpool game live on Fox Sports 1 USA ; the match can also be live streamed online on FoxSoccer2Go.
Viewers in France can watch the game live on beIN Sports 1.
