We now know our opponents for the group stage of the Europa League – Rubin Kazan from Russia, Bordeaux from France and Swiss side FC Sion. It’s a decent draw – at least in the opinion of the vast majority of our supporters – although it will be important not to underestimate what are three decent clubs.
Below, we take a look into the past and present of each of the teams we’ll be facing, highlight some key players to look out for and give you those all important fixture dates.
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Here’s our in depth profiles of the three teams:
Rubin Kazan
Seed: One
Background: Rubin were founded back in 1958 but did not achieve promotion to the top flight of Russian football until 2003. Since then they have become two-time champions, winning the league in back-to-back seasons in 2008 and 2009, and one-time Russian cup winners – lifting their third trophy in 2012.
How did they qualify: Finished fifth in the Russian Premier League. Dynamo Moscow, who finished fourth, are banned from competing so Kazan took their place.
Best European performance: Rubin’s best performance in the Europa League came back in 2013 when they reached the last eight. They were beaten by eventual winners Chelsea 5-4 on aggregate, winning the home leg 3-2. They’ve reached the Champions League group stage twice but have never progressed further.
Key players: Ramil Sheydayev, a 19-year-old striker, is on loan from Zenit and scored 18 goals last season. Many Liverpool fans might also remember midfielder Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, who used to play for Everton.
Fixtures: Thursday 22 October (Home), Thursday 5 November (Away)
Past meetings: None
Bordeaux
Seed: Three
Background: Bordeaux are one of the most successful football clubs in French history, having won six league titles and ten domestic cups. They have been in something of a lull in recent years and have not won a trophy since back in 2009. However, they finally appear to be on the rise once again.
How did they qualify: Finished sixth in the French Premier League. They started the season strongly but eventually finished eight points adrift of third place Monaco, who took the final Champions League spot.
Best European performance: Bordeaux reached the final of the Europa League – known at the time as the UEFA Cup – in 1996, where they were beaten 5-1 on aggregate by Bayern Munich. They’ve also won the now defunct Intertoto Cup – which earned them their qualification into that year’s UEFA Cup.
Key players: Diego Rolan, a teammate of Luis Suarez in the Uruguay national team, will be a threat up front. Former Paris Saint Germain star Clement Chantome will be looking to run the game in midfield.
Fixtures: Thursday 17 September (Away), Thursday 26 November (Home)
Past meetings: Liverpool 3-0 Bordeaux (Garcia 2, Gerrard, 2006); Bordeaux 0-1 Liverpool (Crouch, 2006)
FC Sion
Seed: Four
Background: The Swiss side have been somewhat dwarfed by the immense success of Basel. However, they are more than worth their own slice of domestic history. They’ve won the first division title twice and have won the national cup on thirteen occasions. Incredibly, they’ve also never lost a final.
How did they qualify: It must have been fairly predictable once they’d reached the final that they were going to win it yet again. That’s some record. They beat Basel to claim the cup earlier this year, winning 3-0.
Best European performance: They once reached the third round of the UEFA Cup, back in 1995, but have generally fallen early. Last time they competed in Europe, in 2012, they were beaten 6-0 on aggregate by Celtic. They have once reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners’ Cup, losing to Lokomotiv Leipzig.
Key players: Full-back Reto Ziegler has previously played in the Premier League for Tottenham and Wigan. Young forward Moussa Konate has scored a lot of goals over the last few years and is one to watch.
Fixtures: Thursday 1 October (Home), Thursday 10 December (Away)
Past meetings: Liverpool 6-3 FC Sion (McManaman, Bjornebye, Barnes, Fowler 2, Berger, 1996); FC Sion 1-2 Liverpool (Fowler, Barnes, 1996)
