SOCCER NEWS: RAFAEL BENITEZ has joined Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger in attacking the Premier League over a fixture list that forced his side to play Wigan Athletic on Wednesday night before travelling to Portsmouth for a lunchtime kick-off today.
The Liverpool manager said his chief concern was the club’s supporters who, if they wanted to go to Fratton Park by train, would have had to leave Lime Street station no later than 6.45am. The trip there and back takes nine-and-a-half hours by train on one of the busiest weekends of the year.
“It is the worst time to travel and it is something the authorities have to consider because a lot of fans will be on the road and maybe it will be snowing,” Benitez said. “But it is something that is very easy to change.”
Benitez, who has already written to the Premier League this season to protest about the scheduling of its fixtures, said: “My idea is simple, you draw the fixtures at the start of the season and you mirror it in the second half as they do in Spain. It would be a level playing field.
“In Spain they have the same number of teams in La Liga as they do in the Premier League, the same television rights issues and the same press. They can do it in Spain and the rest of Europe where the games are strictly home, away, home, away. I don’t know why they cannot do that in England.”
Benitez confirmed that Fernando Torres is ready to start at Fratton Park, although he added that the striker would need to be “managed” through the next few weeks. Alberto Aquilani, however, is unlikely to feature against Portsmouth because of a calf injury.
Having won the Uefa Cup with Valencia in 2004, Benitez argued that to win back its equivalent would be a real achievement. “To win any trophy is important,” he said after Liverpool were paired with the Romanian side, Unirea Urziceni in the Europa League.
“In the later rounds you will see some top sides – Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Valencia. They are massive clubs. It will be an interesting competition . . .”
Meanwhile, Fulham were drawn at home to Shakhtar Donetskline on Everton and while Everton face Sporting Lisbon.
Guardian Service
EUROPA LEAGUE DRAW - Round of 32( matches to be played February 18th and 25th): Rubin Kazan v Hapoel Tel-Aviv; Athletic Bilbao v Anderlecht; FC Copenhagen v Marseille; Panathinaikos v Roma; Atletico Madrid v Galatasaray; Ajax v Juventus; Club Brugge v Valencia; Fulham v Shakhtar Donetsk; Liverpool v Unirea Urziceni; Hamburg v PSV Eindhoven; Villarreal v VfL Wolfsburg; Standard Liege v SV Red Bull Salzburg; FC Twente v Werder Bremen; Lille v Fenerbahce; Everton v Sporting Lisbon; Hertha Berlin v Benfica. Round of 16 (matches to be played March 11th and 18th): Hamburg or PSV Eindhoven v Athletic Bilbao or Anderlecht; Rubin Kazan or Hapoel Tel Aviv v Villarreal or VfL Wolfsburg; Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray v Everton or Sporting Lisbon; Hertha Berlin or Benfica v FC Copenhagen or Marseille; Panathinaikos or Roma v Standard Leige or SV Red Bull Salzburg; Lille or Fenerbahce v Liverpool or Unirea Urziceni; Ajax or Juventus v Fulham or Shakhtar Donetsk; Club Brugge or Valencia v FC Twente or Werder Bremen.
