Liverpool vs LASK preview, team news, tickets & prediction
Liverpool and their fans seem to have forgotten what they went through last campaign because of the great start they made across all competitions this season. They are not in the UEFA Champions League this season but are making good use of their chance in the Europa League, which they have been viewed as one of the contenders.
Jurgen Klopp and his men are in this competition for the first time since the 2015/16 season and have been working hard to make it count. The Reds acquired a new-look midfield with Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, and Wataru Endo, and it seems to be paying off so far. Klopp spoke about his side’s poor performance across the board last campaign. Still, he has gone about his business calmly, and they look like they are one of the contenders for the Premier League title this season alongside Arsenal and Manchester City.
Liverpool began the new campaign with a 1-1 draw with Chelsea – one of their top-four rivals. After that solid performance at Stamford Bridge, the Reds picked their first three points of the season – a 3-1 win over Bournemouth at Anfield. It was a comeback win courtesy of goals from Luis Diaz, Mohamed Salah, and Diogo Jota. English football followers started giving the Reds attention after they defeated Newcastle 2-1 at St. James’ Park from a goal and a man down. Skipper Virgil Van Dijk was sent off after Anthony Gordon had put the hosts ahead before Darwin Nunez came off the bench to work his magic.
Another assured and composed performance from the Reds saw them put three past Aston Villa at Anfield just before the international break. Summer signing Szoboszlai got his first Liverpool goal, an own-goal, and a third goal from Salah before the hour mark secured the win over Unai Emery’s Villa side. Liverpool then came from a goal down to beat Wolves 3-1 at the Molineux to extend their winning streak to four games.
LASK have been decent in the Austrian Bundesliga, but it is in Europe they have been struggling. They sit third on the log with four wins from their opening nine games. They won four of their past five games across all competitions before their Europa League opener against Liverpool at home. Still, after that defeat, they have only won two of their four matches in all competitions.
In the Europa League, LASK labored to reach the group stages after a hard-fought win over Bosnians Zrinjski Mostar in the last round. Meanwhile, they defeated Lustenau and Klagenfurt before their opener against Liverpool. Despite taking the lead into the break, the quality of the visitors prevailed as they lost 3-1. They drew in their next league game before winning their Austrian Cup match against SC Imst. LASK ended September with a defeat at Wolfsberger before losing to Toulouse in their second Europa League game.
Liverpool and Klopp have gone about their business in all competitions this season, and the visit of LASK to Anfield should not be a challenging game to see out. With the knockout stages on the horizon, the Reds might be cautious in this one, but they should still get the job done.
Match tickets
The epic match at Anfield in Liverpool kicks off on Thursday, 30th November, at 9 PM UK time, and it will be shown live on TNT Sports, with coverage starting from around 8 PM.
European Cup nights are usually special at Liverpool, and LASK fans should be ready for an exciting night of football. The Reds are one of the favorites to win this competition, and they will want to finish strongly. LASK fans will enjoy the ambiance of the magnificent 54,074-capacity Stadium in Merseyside.
Getting tickets forLiverpool vs LASK tickets should be easy to get. Hence, you are advised to search ticket reselling sites should they be expectedly sold out on each club’s channels.
Team news
Line-ups
Like other top managers in this competition, Jurgen Klopp is fond of rotating their squad for games like this. With qualification all but guaranteed, Kelleher should start in goal instead of Alisson, Tsimikas could start at left-back instead of Robertson, and Gravenberch and Elliot are certain to get several minutes in this game. Meanwhile, Thiago remains a long-term absentee.
Liverpool: Kelleher; Gomez, Matip, Quansah, Tsimikas; Endo, Gravenberch, Elliott; Nunez, Diaz, Gakpo.
Coach Peter Pacult has relied on the front three of Havel, Flecker, and Ljubicicic, and they should continue in attack for this Thursday’s game. Based on the strength of the opposition, coach Peter Pacult might just retain his best available XI for this game. The likes of Tobias Anselm, Lenny Pintor, Yannis Letard, Adil Taoui, and Philipp Wiesinger are long-term absentees and are expected to miss this trip to Anfield.
LASK: Lawal; Bello, Ziereis, Andrade, Luckeneder; Zulij, Jovicic, Horvath; Ljubicic, Havel, Flecker.
Prediction
Although they have conceded a couple, Liverpool have been imperious at Anfield this season, scoring a lot. The Reds conceded in the reverse leg, but a solid second-half performance turned the game on its head. Liverpool have their sights on the second round, and LASK should be OK with them.
As of the time of writing, LASK is on a losing run of the two games and is yet to get on board in the group. It could possibly be a long night for LASK in this game.
On Liverpool’s team, Gakpo, Jota, and Salah supply the goals in great abundance, and they might not even be needed to beat this underwhelming Austrian side. The Reds have won their previous home matches against Austrian opposition in all competitions, and they should be able to extend that run.
