(GSM) - In an article published on Eurosport, the author, Fulham star Danny Murphy, expressed his disappointment at having to watch his side take on Juventus on the Europa League. Murphy will miss the tie as he serves a two-match ban imposed on him after receiving his marching orders in his side's victorious clash with Shakhtar.
Murphy said that he did not intend to harm Darijo Srna and labelled the ban as "lengthy" considering the nature of his challenge on the Croatia international. However, the Fulham captain insists that he accepts he is responsible for his actions.
The midfielder who was capped nine times by England said that Fulham can face huge difficulty against Juventus if they are not at their "very best".
Murphy highlighted Juventus' Alessandro Del Piero as the major threat in the match, saying that the Italian's ability to unlock defenses is unrivaled. The Fulham skipper claimed that "the excellent reputation he [Del Piero] has earned at the very top of the game for so many years is unquestionable. He is a definite match-winner for them, and someone we must monitor very closely".
Murphy said that the Serie A is currently trailing behind the Premier League which is the "most dominant" but is closely followed by La Liga. However, Murphy emphasized that the two Milan giants and Juventus are still big teams in Europe.
The Eurosport columnist concluded that the Europa League's last 16 should be an entertaining run-in and Fulham will focus on their remaining matches in Europe, one at a time and hope to keep their excellent run going.
1 - 0 |
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J. Zebina 25'
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2 - 0 |
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2 - 1 |
36' D. Etuhu
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D. Trézéguet 44'
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3 - 1 |
| # | Player | Bookings |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | A. Manninger | |
| 5 | F. Cannavaro | |
| 6 | F. Grosso | |
| 15 | J. Zebina |
 25'
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| 33 | N. Legrottaglie |
9'
 67'
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| 28 | Diego | |
| 7 |
H. Salihamidžić
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| 18 |
C. Poulsen
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| 8 | C. Marchisio | |
| 26 | A. Candreva | |
| 17 |
D. Trézéguet
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44'
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| Coach: A. Zaccheroni | ||
| # | Player | Bookings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | M. Schwarzer | |
| 3 | P. Konchesky | |
| 18 | A. Hughes | |
| 5 | B. Hangeland | |
| 6 | C. Baird | |
| 29 |
S. Davies
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|
| 16 | D. Duff | |
| 27 | J. Greening |
84'
|
| 11 | Z. Gera | |
| 20 | D. Etuhu |
36'
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| 25 | B. Zamora | |
| Coach: R. Hodgson | ||
| # | Player | Bookings |
|---|---|---|
| 16 |
for H. Salihamidžić 45' |
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| 9 |
for D. Trézéguet 62' |
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| 22 |
for C. Poulsen 75' |
| # | Player | Bookings |
|---|---|---|
| 23 |
for S. Davies 61' |
