Liverpool are back in unfamiliar territory on Thursday evening as they take on LASK in Austria to begin their Europa League journey.
A disappointing Premier League campaign for the Reds last time out saw them finish fifth which means they’ll be competing in the Europa League for the first time since Jurgen Klopp’s debut season on Merseyside.
LASK have started the season brightly, although they are very much expected to compete with Sturm Gruz for ‘best of the rest’ status behind dominant RB Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga.
A play-off victory over Bosnian outfit Zrinjski Mostar ensured LASK progressed into the Europa League group stages.
Team News:
The Austrian side haven’t exactly had much luck with injuries as of late, with Tobias Anselm, Yannis Letard and Adil Taoui all absent due to ACL problems. None of these players have been included in Thomas Sageder’s group-stage squad.
Ebrima Darboe, who joined the club on loan from Roma in the summer, could earn minutes off the bench, but he’s not yet ready for a start, while a muscular issue is set to keep winger Lenny Pintor on the sidelines.
Liverpool on the other hand are still missing the services of right back Trent Alexander-Arnold with Jarrell Quansah earning another start at centre-back. He could be joined by Ibrahima Konate, who earned minutes off the bench at Molineux.
Head-to-Head:
This will be the first meeting between both sides ever.
Kick-off Time:
The fixture takes place in Linz, Austria at the Raiffeisen Arena by 5:45 p.m.
