LASK Linz vs Liverpool Preview:
Probably starting lineups:
LASK Linz:
Lawal, Ziereis, Andrade, Luckeneder, Flecker, Jovicic, Horvath, Bello, Ljubicic, Havel, Zulj
Liverpool:
Alisson, Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas, Gravenberch, Jones, Elliott, Doak, Nunez, Luis Diaz
LASK Linz welcome the Premier League side Liverpool to the Raiffeisen Arena in their opening Europa League Group E encounter. The Austrians secured a place in the group after beat Zrinjski Mostar 3:2 on aggregate. They will try to secure one of the first two spots in the group, but it won't be easy. The Reds are absolute favorites, while the other three teams will fight for the second ticket. The Ligue 1 side Toulouse and Union SG from Belgium are strong opponents, so it won't be easy for LASK. But the players confidence is surely high after the last results. Sageder's men are unbeaten in the last seven competitive games. Several players have not been included in Sageder's squad for the Europa League group stage, including Tobias Anselm, Yannis Letard and Adil Taoui. Lenny Pintor is also sidelined with a muscular problem, while the Japanese winger Keito Nakamura left the club during the summer and joined French side Reims. Ebrima Darboe, who was LASK biggest acquisition, has only played one game for the LASK reserve side due to to a lack of fitness. It will be a big surprise to see him as a part of the starting eleven.
Liverpool finished the last season on the fifth place, so they will missed the Champions League after seven years. Some of the players, including Mohamed Salah, were not satisfied with the fact they will play in Europe League, but Klopp said all Liverpool players will be fully motivated. The Reds have started the season very good. First they played an 1:1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, while then recorded four straight victories. The Reds won 3:1 against Bournemouth, then beat 2:1 Newcastle at St James Park, outplayed 3:0 Aston Villa and won 3:1 against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux. The atmosphere in the squad is excellent, while the players confidence is high. Klopp has the majority of his players available, including the captain Virgil van Dijk who missed the matches with Aston Villa and Wolverhampton due to suspension. The biggest problem for Klopp is the full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. He is still recovering from a hamstring injury and his absence is a huge problem for the German coach, who must improvise with Joe Gomez once again. Thiago Alcantara remain sidelined after suffered a setback in his recovery from a hip injury. Quansah limped off in the closing stages of what was his full Premier League debut at Wolves. Klopp is expected to rest some of his key players, while Gravenberch, Tsimikas, Elliott and Ben Doak could start from the first minute.
LASK Linz vs Liverpool Prediction:
This is the first ever match between LASK and Liverpool in their long history. The Austrian club have enjoyed spells in Europe in the recent years and their biggest success was reaching the Europa League Round of 16 in the 2019/20 season. Coach Thomas Sager is doing a solid job considering the power of sides like Red Bull Salzburg or Sturm. LASK finished third in the Austrian Bundesliga last season and will be pushing to secure the knock-out phase once again. Liverpool are clear favorites here, but LASK players won't give up easily. I expect a tight and low scoring match.
LASK Linz vs Liverpool Pick: Under 3.5 goals @ 1.68 with
Pinnacle