HJK – Saturday 1st August (5.30pm BST)
Who are they: The Helsinki-based team were champions in Finland in 2014 and currently sit top of the 2015 table, four points clear of their nearest challengers who do have two games in hand. They’ve won the title for the last six years in a row.
Key players: Markus Heikkinen, formerly of Luton Town, is their captain. Winger Demba Savage has scored 40 goals in 93 league games since 2012, while Japanese international striker Mike Havenaar is also very capable.
Previous meetings: We played HJK in the second round of the 1982-83 European Cup. We lost the first leg 1-0 in Finland but then won 5-0 at Anfield, where Kenny Dalglish was among the scorers. Hamburg were the eventual winners of the competition, beating Juventus in the final.
