| FC Utrecht coach Ton du Chatinier considers Liverpool pose far more difficult Europa League opposition than Celtic who they disposed of earlier in the competition. But the Dutchman, with a little help from the other half of the Old Firm, hopes his side will draw inspiration from playing the five-time European champions. Utrecht beat Celtic 4-0 on home turf in their Europa League play-off, fighting back from a 2-0 loss from the first leg at Parkhead. Liverpool may currently be struggling in the Barclays Premier League but they have not lost to Dutch opposition since their first encounter in 1966 when Ajax won 5-0 in Amsterdam. Du Chatinier knows Thursday's Group K encounter will be tough, especially as counterpart Roy Hodgson has brought almost a full-strength squad. As a result they have explored every avenue available to them in their preparations, including assistant manager Jan Wouters calling in a favour from his former Rangers boss and current Birmingham manager Alex McLeish. The Utrecht boss said: "Liverpool are a better team than Celtic, with all respect. We have asked people in England and Jan has spoken to Alex McLeish. We've watched Liverpool's home game against Steaua Bucharest (a 4-1 win) and the match at Manchester United (a 3-2 defeat)." |