Europa League
Thursday 14th February 2013
Zenit St Petersburg VS Liverpool
Petrovsky Stadium
It seems like a lifetime ago now. The images are still relatively clear. A smiling, rueful Antionio Di Natale, having just missed the chance to knock Liverpool out of Europe. Jordan Henderson and Brendan Rodgers embraced and the midfielder applauded those that had made the trip. It had been a battle but was by no means Liverpool's best ever victory on the continent but it didn't matter. We had won and with it claimed top spot in the group. Our reward? A trip to Russia in winter. Great.
It may not be at the top of everybody's wishlist but the fact remains that realistically, this is our only chance of even a glimmer of success That being said I would be surprised if there weren't a couple of changes made, both in the wake of what happened on Monday and with another game on Sunday to follow. Daniel Agger has been left at home and Martin Skrtel will be given an opportunity to balance out his performance in the Oldham game against his former club.
The first leg of any tie is usually quite defensive and tight with neither side wanting to give anything away. In recent years things have swayed in that direction even more with home teams have become more accepting of a goalless draw and the focus being on preventing the travelling side from any away goals. Without Sturridge to call upon there will likely be changes in the attacking areas also, Fabio Borini the likeliest to get the nod given that he didn't play against West Brom. Scoring at any point in this game will could be pivotal to the entire tie.
Zenit are quite possibly the most difficult opponent we could have been drawn against in terms of quality, let alone the fact that we've had to travel so far. Hulk is someone that was touted to be one of the top strikers in Europe and we'll do very well to keep him quiet. If we can do that then with Suarez at the other end there's always a chance we could make something happen.
Playing in Europe is always something to cherish. The chance to match up with sides all across the continent and tonight we really have to be on our game against a side that is packed with talent. Whatever happens we have to make sure that the tie is still alive and well for the second leg next week. Just because Anfield is a place where special things happen in Europe - and I always feel confident about a tie when that is the case - we shouldn't be relying on it.
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