The next round of the Europa League may not start until the New Year, but Besiktas striker Demba Ba has wasted no time warning his team-mates of the threat that Liverpool pose after the two sides were drawn together in the Round of 32 yesterday.
The Reds may have arrived in Europe’s second tier competition in a roundabout way by parachuting out of the Champions League following their third place finish in Group B, but the former Chelsea man isn’t about to discount the 3-time winners inclusion in the competition. “It’s a difficult pairing. Liverpool are having some hard times now,” he told the UEFA website following the draw. “They couldn’t get the results they desired and things are not going well for them. Hard games are ahead of us.”
The last time these two sides met, Liverpool ran out 8-0 winners as the Anfield outfit knocked the Turkish side out of the Champions League back in the 2007/2008 season. With the Reds struggling to find form after their run at the Premier League title — which Ba famously helped derail — last season, there’s little doubt that the Kop won’t exactly be treated to a repeat. Still, the Senegalese hitman isn’t about to let that temper their resolve.
“They are a team which try to strike fast and build up the game as quickly as possible. Their technical capacity is high and they are physically strong” he continued. “If we can snatch a good result in the first leg, it will be an advantage to be playing the second leg at home.”
