LIVERPOOL have been drawn against Trabzonspor in the Europa League play-offs.

Roy Hodgson’s team will face the Turkish club at Anfield in the first leg on Thursday August 19.

The second leg will be held a week later on August 26th in Trabzon, just four days after Liverpool’s tricky Premier League trip to Manchester City.

Goals by David Ngog and Steven Gerrard this week saw Liverpool complete a 4-0 aggregate win over Macedonian side FK Rabotnicki to book their place in the play-offs.

Trabzonspor are likely to offer a sterner test, however, having qualified directly for this stage after beating Fenerbahce in last season’s Turkish Cup final.

They also finished fifth in the Super League behind Besiktas, Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and champions Bursaspor.

As one of Turkey’s most successful clubs, Trabzonspor have won the league title six times – more than any other club outside of Istanbul.

With eight Turkish Cup wins among their other domestic successes, the Black Sea club managed to pick up 17 trophies between 1976 and 1984.

A first league title success in 1975/76 prompted a period of domination for Trabzonspor and a maiden European Cup campaign that brought a first and, until now, only other meeting with Liverpool.

Bob Paisley’s team overturned a 1-0 first leg defeat in Turkey with a 3-0 victory at Anfield in the return of a second round clash during the triumphant 1976/77 European Cup campaign.

Goals by Steve Heighway, David Johnson and Kevin Keegan inside the first 20 minutes ended Trabzonspor’s hopes of pulling off a shock.

As then, Liverpool will be favourites to progress again but will want to get the job done in the first leg at Anfield ahead of a daunting five hour trip to Trabzon, an old trade port city located on the south coast of the Black Sea in north west Turkey.

Managed by former Turkey boss Senol Gunes, the Trabzonspor squad is made up mainly of Turkish players, although they have been linked with moves for Bolton defender Danny Shittu this summer, plus West Bromwich Albion striker Roman Bednar.

WATCH clips from the 1976 European Cup games between Liverpool and Trabzonspor, plus highlights from last season’s Turkish Cup final at www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/lfc