Liverpool vs LASK: preview, team news, how to watch and prediction

Liverpool will welcome Austrian side LASK at Anfield in the Europa League on Thursday evening.

The Reds will be coming into this game after an intense game against Manchester City in the Premier League. They managed to come away with a point despite finding themselves trailing so this was a positive result for the Merseyside club, considering the match was at the Etihad Stadium.

Following this result, Jurgen Klopp’s side have now dropped down to third in the league, though they are only two points behind the table topper Arsenal.

On the other hand, Liverpool have enjoyed a promising campaign in the Europa League as they are currently top of their group with nine points from four games. So, a victory in this fixture means they will be able to secure their place in the knockout round by finishing at the top.

The Reds endured a disappointing defeat against Toulouse in their previous game in this competition so they will be hoping to return to winning ways in Europe’s second-tier competition tomorrow.

Meanwhile, LASK have endured a tough time in this competition as they are currently bottom of the group with three points from four games. They lost the first three games in the Europa League but managed to beat Union Saint-Gilloise in their previous game so they will be hoping to continue their winning run in this tournament tomorrow.

However, defeating Liverpool at Anfield is going to be extremely difficult for the Austrian side as the Merseyside club have won every game in all competitions at this historic Stadium this season.

Previous meetings

Liverpool defeated the Austrian side away from home in the reverse fixture and they will be hoping to do the double over them in this encounter.

How to watch

The game will kick off at 8 pm UK time and the match will be televised live on TNT Sports 1 channel. Tickets via official channels are sold out but fans can still buy Liverpool tickets through trusted reseller sites such as seatsnet.

Team news

Allison and Diogo Jota sustained injuries in the previous game against Man City. They could remain sidelined for the upcoming few weeks so they aren’t available for selection in this encounter.

Andy Robertson has been sidelined for an extended period due to a shoulder issue so he isn’t in contention to feature tomorrow. Alongside the Scotland international, Stefan Bajcetic and Thiago Alcántara are also likely to be unavailable for selection in this encounter owing to injury problems.

As for LASK, they are expected to be without Roma loanee Ebrima Darboe due to injury and alongside the midfielder, Adil Taoui and Philipp Wiesinger are also set to remain sidelined owing to their respective issues.

Sascha Horvath and Rene Renner missed out on LASK’s previous game due to illness but they are likely to be available for this encounter.

Predicted line-up

Klopp is set to continue with his preferred 4-3-3 system and Caoimhin Kelleher is likely to start in goal for Liverpool tomorrow. Joe Gomes should be in the right-back position, while Konstantinos Tsimikas could continue on the opposite side. So, Trent Alexander-Arnold is likely to be given a breather in this fixture.

Ibrahima Konate and Jarell Quansah should be the centre-back pairing for Liverpool tomorrow, allowing a midweek off for Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk.

Wataru Endo is likely to be deployed in the defensive midfield position, while Harvey Elliott and Ryan Gravenberch could complete the midfield trio for the Merseyside club. So, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai could be given a breather in tomorrow’s game.

Luis Díaz may commence in the left-wing position and Ben Doak could be deployed in the opposite flank. So, Mohamed Salah could be given a midweek break. Cody Gakpo should lead the line for Liverpool in this encounter.

Expected Liverpool line-up vs LASK

Kelleher; Gomes, Konate, Quansah, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Endo, Elliott; Días, Gakpo, Doak

For LASK, Thomas Sageder is likely to go with the 3-4-3 formation for this encounter with Tobias Okiki Lawal set to commence in goal. Maksym Talovyerov, Andres Andrade and Philipp Ziereis should be the back three for the Austrian side.

George Bello and Filip Stojkovic are expected to be both wing-backs, while Horvath and Ivan Ljubic should be in the engine room. Moses Usor and Marin Ljubicic could commence in the flanks with Robert Zulj expected to lead the line for LASK tomorrow.

Expected LASK line-up vs Liverpool

Lawal; Talovyerov, Andrade, Ziereis; Bello, Horvath, Ljubic, Stojkovic; Usor, Zulj, Ljubicic

Key players

Konate will have to take responsibility for organising the defence as he will be the senior partner if he starts alongside Quansah tomorrow. Liverpool’s young defender has showcased glimpses of his talent in recent games and the 20-year-old will be hoping that he will be able to perform at his best in this encounter.

Liverpool will be reliant on Diaz and Gakpo to put their names on the scoresheet and help the Reds achieve an easy victory in this fixture. If Doak starts then it will be an excellent opportunity for him to showcase his talent in front of the world and should he manages to find the back of the net then it will be a bonus for him.

The onus will be on Gravenberch to create chances for the attackers and show intensity without possession. Endo hasn’t had a great start to this season and as a result, he hasn’t been able to find regular game-time at Anfield having joined the club last summer.

So, he will have to take advantage of this opportunity to win Klopp’s trust and secure his place in Liverpool’s first eleven.

As for LASK, Zulj has been in fine form in recent times, scoring five goals and registering three assists in the last seven appearances in all competitions. So, the Austrian side will be hoping that he will be able to continue his impressive displays tomorrow.

The responsibility will be on Usor and Ljubicic to create chances for Zulj and finish those off if they get any. Horvath is the main man of LASK in their midfield and he will have to showcase his best in this game in order to help his side come away with a positive result from Anfield.

Pressure will be on LASK’s three centre-backs and they will have to defend with courage to give their side any chance of winning this game.

Prediction

Liverpool are almost unbeatable at the Anfield so the Merseyside club are heavy favourites to win this game and it’s highly unlikely that LASK would be able to come away with a positive result. It is expected that the Reds will win the game by a healthy margin.

However, it is going to be interesting to see how the game eventually unfolds tomorrow. Liverpool 4-1 LASK