Liverpool will hope to bounce back from their 3-1 loss to Manchester United when they travel to France to take on Bordeaux in their Europa League opener on Thursday.
Despite their promising start to the season, the pressure is building on manager Brendan Rodgers after back-to-back defeats in the Premier League.
Their 3-0 humbling at Anfield at the hands of West Ham United raised concerns, but the defeat to United was undoubtedly more disappointing given the rivalry between the two clubs.
While a Europa League campaign might not have been on his agenda for this season, Rodgers may welcome the opportunity to escape the domestic spotlight.
Willy Sagnol’s Bordeaux have won just one of their first five games in Ligue 1 this season, and were arguably lucky to reach this stage of the competition after a scare against Kairat.
As a result, the visitors should fancy their chances against their out-of-sort opponents, and a win would certainly boost morale around Melwood.
Rodgers could consider making numerous changes, with the likes of Divock Origi, Mamadou Sakho and Alberto Moreno all undoubtedly hoping to get the nod after minimal Premier League involvement.
However Rodgers must find the right balance as another disappointing performance and result here will only do further harm to him and the team ahead of Sunday’s game against Norwich City.
These two teams last met in the group stages of the Champions League nine years ago, with Liverpool winning both games thanks to Peter Crouch’s winner in France and goals from Luis Garcia and Steven Gerrard at Anfield.
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