Liverpool drawn against Besiktas in the last 32 of the Europa League

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Liverpool drawn against Besiktas in the last 32 of the Europa League…

Liverpool will face Besiktas in the Europa League, following this afternoon’s Last 32 draw. Brendan Rodgers’ side will face the Turkish giants in a two-legged tie in February next year, as they begin their campaign in Europe’s secondary competition.

The Reds last played Besiktas in November 2007, winning 8-0 at Anfield thanks to goals from Peter Crouch (2), Steven Gerrard, Ryan Babel (2), and a Yossi Benayoun hat-trick.

Besiktas won the reverse fixture 2-1, although the Reds still progressed beyond the Champions League group stage, eventually losing out to Chelsea in the semi-finals, having beaten Inter Milan and Arsenal.

However, Besiktas are a much improved team these days, and currently sit top of their domestic league. They missed out on Champions League qualification to Arsenal earlier this season, but only lost 1-0 on aggregate.

They were then drawn in the same Europa League group as Tottenham, and took four points from their two games against the North London side, ensuring they topped the standings after six games.

Their star man is former Chelsea striker Demba Ba, who has scored 13 goals this season after joining the club from Stamford Bridge earlier this year.

Liverpool fans are unlikely to welcome the 29-year-old back to Anfield, as it was his goal that contributed to us losing out to Manchester City in the race for last season’s Premier League title.

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