FORMER EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS Liverpool, Ajax and PSV Eindhoven must dig themselves out of trouble tonight if they are to make the quarter-finals of this season’s Europa League.
Liverpool are 1-0 down from the first leg at Portuguese side Braga and with Premier League rivals Manchester City behind 2-0 to Ukrainian giant Dynamo Kiev, England is struggling to have any representation in the last eight of Europe’s second-tier knock-out competition.
Dutch champions FC Twente are ahead 3-0 going into its second leg at 2008 winner Zenit St Petersburg but the Netherlands’ two other teams are in poor positions from their first legs.
Four-time European champion Ajax go to Spartak Moscow looking to overturn a 1-0 deficit and PSV are locked at 0-0 ahead of the second leg at Scottish champion Rangers.
“We want to be playing at the highest level as soon as we possibly can. To do that we have to win matches, starting with the game tomorrow night,” Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish said. “We’ve got to win by two goals to maintain our European status this year.
“Every game for us is really important. European football and this football club are synonymous. We’d love that to continue.”
England international Steven Gerrard is missing with a groin injury, depriving Liverpool of its captain and midfield heartbeat, but Dalglish is weighing up whether to give record signing Andy Carroll a first start for the club up front.
Progression to the FA Cup semi-finals and an outside chance of the Premier League title may take Man City’s eye off the ball in the Europa League.
The big-spending north-west club were easily beaten in the Ukrainian capital but winger Shaun Wright-Phillips insists the desire is still there to eliminate Dynamo.
“We believe we can beat Kiev.
“If we create one or two chances and we take them, then it’s a whole new ball game,” the England player said. “We know we have to go out there and start firing straight from kick-off and create as many chances as possible. You never know what may happen.”
James Milner could make the bench for City after recovering from a nagging hamstring injury.
Ajax will be without Maarten Stekelenburg for its trip to Moscow after the Netherlands goalkeeper broke his right thumb in a training-ground incident last week.
His replacement, Jeroen Verhoeven, is expected to take his place despite recent criticism of his weight since stepping in as cover.
“If I knew how to lose the weight I’d be very thin,” said Verhoeven, who was blamed for conceding Ajax’s goal in the 3-1 win over Willem II on Sunday. “I do all I can to shed the pounds — I do extra training — but it doesn’t work.”
- AP
