Thursday 14 September 2000
 |
| 18:45-21:05 |
| UEFA
Cup Football : Rapid Bucharest v Liverpool |
|
First
round.
|
UEFA
Cup: Rapid Bucharest v Liverpool:
Thursday
 |
|
Gerard
Houllier
|
History
is on Liverpool's side prior to this UEFA Cup tie at the Stadionul
Guilesti in Bucharest. Rapid have yet to beat an English side
and Liverpool have yet to lose against Romanians.
And this Rapid Bucharest team have started so poorly that coach
Anghel Iordanescu reportedly demanded that the players' wages
be cut.
Rapid even struggled to book their ticket for this tie, eventually
advancing through their Qualifying Round contest with Armenia's
FC Mika by a 3-1 aggregate scoreline, but only after suffering
a few scares in the first-leg and losing the second leg by a
single goal. The main threat will come from the likes of Radu,
Iftodi and Bundea, but Liverpool should be expected to get a
draw at least before finishing the job at Anfield.
Even so, it won't be the easiest of tasks for Gerard Houllier's
team in their quest to return to European success which became
almost mandatory in the 1980s. They are unbeaten in their last
three - 3-3 at Southampton, 3-1 at home to Villa and 3-2 against
Man City at Anfield - but are conceding far too many goals.
They face an intimidating atmosphere at the Stadionul Guilesti
and Rapid will throw everything at them in the hope of taking
a lead to Merseyside in the second-leg.
Sportlist
prediction: Rapid Bucharest 1-1 Liverpool
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