Trabzonspor v Liverpool (agg 0 - 1)
EUROPA LEAGUE
Venue: Huseyin Avni Aker Stadium Date: Thursday, 26 August Kick-off: 1830 BST Coverage: BBC Sport website and ESPN
 Liverpool will have to cope without inspirational skipper Gerrard
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Liverpool will be without captain Steven Gerrard and striker Fernando Torres for their Europa League second leg tie with Trabzonspor on Thursday.
Gerrard has a back problem while manager Roy Hodgson believes Torres is not ready to play three games in a row.
Joe Cole returns after missing Monday's Premier League game through suspension but wantaway midfielder Javier Mascherano is left out.
Daniel Agger (concussion) and Maxi Rodriguez (illness) are missing.
Torres and Gerrard are likely to be fit for Sunday's Premier League game against West Brom. But Hodgson said he was reluctant to risk either of his star players, who both started the defeat against Manchester City on Monday, as his side look to protect their slender 1-0 first-leg lead.
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Everyone who's been to Trabzon tells me it's a remarkably difficult place to play
Roy Hodgson
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"Steven Gerrard unfortunately has had a recurrence of the back problem which he gets from time to time," he said. "Hopefully it won't stop him playing on Sunday.
"With Fernando Torres we've made the decision that we don't wish to risk him three games in a row at this stage of the season with him having done so well to get back this quickly.
"Agger played in the game on Monday which was to some extent against medical advice.
"He wanted to play but felt a bit sick after the game. That's mainly due to the concussion he suffered (against Arsenal), so it would be foolish for us to risk him.
"Maxi is sick. He's in bed at the moment with a bit of gastroenteritis, so he's out of the question."
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606: DEBATE
David
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Hodgson admits his side face a tough challenge against Trabzonspor after failing to put the match beyond reach at Anfield last week, with Joe Cole having a penalty saved.
"We missed a golden opportunity to kill the game off at Anfield and now we've got it all to do," added the 62-year-old coach. "It's going to be a very tough ask for the players in a difficult place.
"They are one of the two or three best teams in Turkey at the moment and Turkish football is of a very high standard. Everyone who's been to Trabzon tells me it's a remarkably difficult place to play.
"They're a hostile and fanatic crowd and it's a difficult pitch, but if we come through it we'll come through it stronger."
Liverpool (from): Reina, Johnson, Kelly, Skrtel, Carragher, Kyrgiakos, Aurelio, Cole, Spearing, Poulsen, Lucas, Pacheco, Shelvey, Babel, Kuyt, Ngog, Eccleston, Gulacsi, Hansen.
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