LASK vs Liverpool: confirmed lineup, kick-off time and stakes
Web StoryWatch this story in 15 seconds →Key takeaways
- Liverpool travel to Linz to face LASK in the Champions League tonight.
- Kostas Tsimikas captains the Reds in a side with four changes.
- Kick-off is at 5:45 PM BST at the Raiffeisen Arena.
Liverpool face LASK in Austria tonight. The match is part of the Champions League league phase. Liverpool want a second straight win in Europe.
LASK want their first points of the campaign.
The game kicks off at 5:45 PM BST. That is 12:45 PM ET in the United States. The venue is the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz.
Just under 20,000 fans will fill the ground, according to Sports Illustrated.
What happened
Liverpool have named their starting side. Kostas Tsimikas captains the team. The club confirmed four changes from the last match.
Jeremie Frimpong comes into the defence. Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha also start.
The confirmed Liverpool lineup is set. Alisson starts in goal. The outfield players are Jacquet, Wirtz, Tsimikas, Barcola, Frimpong, Araujo, Gravenberch, Nyoni, Koumas and Ngumoha.
Virgil van Dijk is on the bench. Alexis Mac Allister is on the bench too.
Liverpool travel without three key players. Alexander Isak is out. Cody Gakpo is out.
Dominik Szoboszlai is out. Manager Andoni Iraola said the trio are not far from a return. He gave no exact date for their comebacks.
Szoboszlai missed the defeat to Manchester City. That loss came on Sunday. City won 3-0.
Ryan Gravenberch saw red in that game. His sending off hurt Liverpool. Gravenberch can still play in Europe.
His ban applies to the next league match.
LASK have their own injury problems. Moses Usor is not fit. He was left out of the squad.
The confirmed LASK lineup is set. Jungwirth starts in goal. The outfield players are Jorgensen, Mbuyamba, Alemao, Andrade, Dibango, Danek, Bogarde, Schopf, Lang and Adeniran.
Sasa Kalajdzic starts on the bench.
Why it matters
This match matters for both teams. Liverpool started their European season with a win. They came from behind to beat Atletico Madrid 2-1.
That game was at Anfield. A win tonight would make it two wins from two.
Liverpool need a response after Sunday. The 3-0 loss to Manchester City was a blow. Iraola wants to see a reaction from his team.
A strong away win would help. It would calm the mood around the club.
LASK are playing in the Champions League for the first time. This is a huge night for the Austrian club. They lost their first match 1-0 to AEK Athens.
They now face one of the biggest clubs in Europe. A point would be a big result for them.
Form favors Liverpool. LASK are on a four-game winless run. They sit third in the Austrian first division.
They have kept just one clean sheet in their last ten matches. They have conceded seven goals in their last three games.
History also favors Liverpool. The two clubs met in the 2023-24 Europa League. Liverpool won 3-1 in Linz in that tie.
Liverpool have played ten matches against Austrian clubs. They have won eight of them. Their only loss came at home to Graz AK in 2004.
Liverpool have a strong record in the new format. They have played 17 matches since the league phase began. They have won 14 of them.
They have lost three. They have not drawn a single match in that run.
What happens next
The match kicks off at 5:45 PM BST. Fans in the United States can watch on Paramount+. TUDN and Univision will also show the game.
Fans in Canada can watch on DAZN. Fans in the United Kingdom can watch on TNT Sports 2.
LASK will try to frustrate Liverpool. Coach Dietmar Kuhbauer favors five defenders at the back. He is likely to use that shape again.
Young goalkeeper Lukas Jungwirth will be busy. The home fans will make noise for their team.
Liverpool will try to control the ball. They have more quality in attack. Florian Wirtz can create chances.
Rio Ngumoha brings pace on the wing. Lewis Koumas could lead the line. The young players have a chance to shine.
Sports Illustrated predicted a 2-0 win for Liverpool. That is only a prediction. The game still has to be played.
LASK will fight for every ball. A fast start could change the mood in the ground.
A Liverpool win would keep them perfect in Europe. It would build trust in the new manager. It would also give young players more belief.
A LASK win would be a shock. It would be one of the biggest nights in the club's history.
Fans searched for this fixture in huge numbers. Google Trends logged about 50,000 searches. The searches came from the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia.
That shows how big this tie feels. Even a mismatch can draw a crowd when Liverpool are involved.
For more European football, read about Barcelona's Champions League win over Galatasaray. South American fans can follow Boca's semifinal first leg against Vasco. And Wrexham's late comeback at home shows how fast a game can turn.
The result tonight will shape both clubs. Liverpool want to stay near the top of the table. LASK want to show they belong at this level.
The next 90 minutes will give the answers.
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