Besiktas (H) Build Up

[Doc_Piptorious]

I think we will destroy them by at least 5 or 6.

Hope you are right but I would not be so quick to regard them as canon fodder. Both their games against Spurs were shown here in Ireland and they were not out of their depth against a decent Premier League team.


I know we beat Spurs twice this season, but Spurs are not a bad team and Besiktas taking four points from them is not bad going at all.


They have plenty of pace and trickery in their team from what I saw against Spurs, and they have some decent ball winners who like to get stuck in.


We, on current form, should have enough to dump them out of the competition but we need to put out a team on Thursday that does not play to their strengths at home.

[SB]

It's home (Anfield) and the time is 6:05am QLD (7:05am NSW/VIC) on Friday 20th Feb.

The Milkman always delivers. bugger of a time though for us. Need to check & see if it's on SBS or ESPN.


Friday evening at 635 is the Europa League wrap on SBS

[BobTheCharmer]

Hope you are right but I would not be so quick to regard them as canon fodder. Both their games against Spurs were shown here in Ireland and they were not out of their depth against a decent Premier League team.


I know we beat Spurs twice this season, but Spurs are not a bad team and Besiktas taking four points from them is not bad going at all.


They have plenty of pace and trickery in their team from what I saw against Spurs, and they have some decent ball winners who like to get stuck in.


We, on current form, should have enough to dump them out of the competition but we need to put out a team on Thursday that does not play to their strengths at home.

I hadn't paid any attention to them. Just assumed they were the usual turkish sides that are strongish at home and give up away from home. Our pace will blitz them.

[Gibbo]

Lazar is banned for this, yeah?

[Shaggy]

Aye. Some on Twitter saying his ban is for four games

[Doc_Piptorious]

I hadn't paid any attention to them. Just assumed they were the usual turkish sides that are strongish at home and give up away from home. Our pace will blitz them.

It may well do, as long as Brenden does not try to be overly clever with his team selection.


One thing this Besiktas team does not seem to be in this comp is weak mentally away from home. Away at Spurs they hunted in packs and closed down space all game long. They seem to try to make up for any difference in quality through sheer hard work and pressure.

There is something very Rafa-esque in how they seem to set up away from home in the EL. They defend in lines and have the pace to spring a counter.


At home they went at Spurs and their left flank was full of pace and tricks. Having a very much inform Ba is not doing them any harm upfront either.


Their keeper being out is good for us though as he is their captain and very much their (quite loud) organiser at the back.


If we go in playing as we can do, then we would do to them what we seem to be able to do to most teams when we are on form, but that will require a strong team to be put out and I wonder if Brenden will instead rest a number of players with the Southampton game coming up at the weekend.


Right now I would take a 0-1 or 1-2 win for us on Thursday in a heartbeat as it would force Besiktas to come to Anfield needing goals and if that happened then I could see us doing damage to them.

[dom9]

Is this game on telly?

[Yozza]

is this game on telly?

itv 1...

[dom9]

Blimey. I might just watch it. With the sound off obviously.

[BigChief]

One thing this Besiktas team does not seem to be in this comp is weak mentally away from home. Away at Spurs they hunted in packs and closed down space all game long. They seem to try to make up for any difference in quality through sheer hard work and pressure.

We like teams hunting us in packs nowadays. We've had a plan B operating alongside plan A since Sturridge returned but thankfully no one's noticed (non-Pool fans that is). Instead of always looking to short-pass it out we're now ready to hoof it to Sturridge or A N Other pacy forward.

Which is why we need Ibe and Sterling playing in this game. Only a suicidal away team will come to push their back line right up against our very own SIS (hmm, needs work). I reckon they'll sit right back and make it hard for us to get any shots on their non-keeper. They'll hope to leave losing 1-0 or grabbing a fortuitous away goal.

[Daffy Duck]

Aye. Some on Twitter saying his ban is for four games

It's not I think they'll anounce it on Thursday.

[Mike]

Right now I would take a 0-1 or 1-2 win for us on Thursday in a heartbeat as it would force Besiktas to come to Anfield needing goals and if that happened then I could see us doing damage to them.

The first leg is at Anfield.

[Shaggy]

This document, from UEFA, appears to have Markovic down for a four match ban. kin joke.

[The_weatherman]

This document, from UEFA, appears to have Markovic down for a four match ban. kin joke.

So then, Ibe for Besiktas and Markovic for Southampton. Lallana in for Coutinho against Southampton as well.

[RedReet]

F*ck me, I thought it was an automatic 4 game ban for some bizarre reason, but it was a 1 game ban and some panel looked at it and decided it was worthy of another 3 games. WTF???