Rabotnicki vs Liverpool preview: I couldn't have a tougher start, says Hodgson

Roy Hodgson takes Liverpool into competitive action for the first time tonight, admitting that he couldn't have a tougher start to his Anfield career.

In a frank evaluation of the magnitude of the task ahead of him, the new Reds boss conceded that his side are currently ill-equipped to begin their Europa League campaign.

The English club face unknown Macedonia outfit Rabotnicki in Skopje on Thursday evening, without 11 of their regular first team squad.

And Hodgson believes that presents him with a near impossible task as he attempts to keep Liverpool's European hopes alive with a team of reserves, kids, and misfits, and just three regular first team players from last season.

Clearly signalling that the honeymoon period is already over, Hodgson confessed: "I couldn't have envisaged at the start of my time at Liverpool a more difficult situation than the one I find myself in.

"We're coming to Skopje, playing a good opponent, having very little chance to work with the first team and not having as many as 11 first-team players at my disposition. It couldn't be more difficult."

Hodgson spoke a week ago of needing talks with his Anfield bosses to decide on where the Europa League fits into the club's list of priorities this season.

It seems the competition doesn't rate too highly in those list of priorities, given that the likes of Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Glen Johnson have been left at home.

The bookmakers still believe Liverpool are unbackable 1-5 favourites to beat the Macedonian minnows, but clearly Hodgson doesn't share that view.

And he admitted that defeat here is a distinct possibility - which he accepted would reveal that his squad is currently ill-equipped to deal with a European campaign alongside the challenge of a top four Premier League finish.

"We will be trying to win but I'm far from confident that will be the case," he said.

"We know the value of the competition and with 13 players returning from the World Cup and most not here this is not the Liverpool team you will see most of the season.

"We are obliged to put our European fate in the hands of many inexperienced players and we can only hope they can get us through against an experienced and well-versed team in European football.

"Whether they can handle it remains to be seen. If the worst happened and we didn't get through this round because Rabotnicki prove to be the stronger team, then we'd have to say were not able to sustain a European campaign with our current squad situation."

Hodgson seemed angry at the position he found himself in yesterday, with an often testy exchange with the media here in Skopje.

He seemed to suggest that he has been swamped by discussions with his bosses since arriving at the club, but also reserved some of his ire for UEFA's decision to get these qualifying games underway before the start of the season.

Only Daniel Agger, Martin Skrtel and Lucas of last season's regulars will be on show, and the Reds manager said:

"In World Cup years it is a tremendous burden on the senior teams from countries like England, Spain, Italy and Germany to have to play matches on July 29 when players haven't returned from holiday a week later.

"Everybody, most of all UEFA, knows you can't bring people off the beach, give them three days training and throw them into a first-class game. We have had no choice to do that.

"Does it detract from my first game? You could say that, but there are plenty of games to come. and the team we put out tomorrow I am confident will not let the club down."

POSSIBLE TEAMS:

Rabotnicki: Bogatinov; Dimovski, Fernando, Belica, Sekulovski; Tunevski, Giligorov, Todorovski; Ze Carlos, Vandir, Fabio.

Liverpool: Cavalieri; Kelly, Kyrigiakos, Skrtel, Agger; Lucas, Spearing; Amoo, Aquilani, Jovanovic; Ngog.