LIVERPOOL WILL BE hoping to continue their 100% start to their Europa League campaign with victory in the Netherlands tonight as they face Utrecht whilst Manchester City play host to Italian giants Juventus.

The Reds are on a three game losing streak domestically including an embarrassing home defeat to League Two Northampton last week in the Carling Cup. Having left his big guns out of that game manager Roy Hodgson has decided to include Spanish striker Fernando Torres in his travelling party, leaving only captain Steven Gerrard and injured defender Daniel Agger back on Merseyside.

Hodgson admitted that the debacle against Northampton was something he learned from and influenced his decision to include Torres, who has scored only once this season, for the trip to Utrecht.

One of the benefits of having him here is that when you are drawing or losing to Northampton and you have left all your best players out to prepare for the weekend, then you would like to have your best players to change things. Maybe that’s one of the things I learnt from last week – but I learnt lots of things last week.

Meanwhile, Manchester City prepare to welcome Serie A side Juventus to Eastlands with manager Robert Mancini looking to create European history against Italy’s most successful side. City are preparing for the kind of glamour tie billionaire owner Sheik Mansour would have envisaged when he bought the club two years ago. Mancini said:

City and Juventus are two new teams trying to build up but City have to build everything. We want a big history for this football club.

However the City boss admits he may rest one or two players after Saturday’s crucial 1-0 win over champions Chelsea and ahead of a “very important” league game against Newcastle at the weekend. In midfield, Nigel de Jong is likely to replace Patrick Viera while in attack Brazilian striker Jo is set for another run out.