Liverpool travelled to Austria on Wednesday evening to take on Champions League debutants LASK at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz, with Andoni Iraola’s side looking to bounce back from a chastening defeat on home soil. Premier League business left a mark over the weekend, and the Reds boss now turns his attention to a league phase clash against opponents playing in Europe’s top table for the first time.
Iraola’s injury-hit Reds in search of a response
Liverpool travel to Austria to take on LASK in the UEFA Champions League, with Andoni Iraola’s men looking to bounce back from Sunday’s Manchester City loss. That result was a chastening one, with Liverpool beaten at home to Manchester City by a 3-0 Premier League scoreline at Anfield, leaving little time to dwell before the trip to Linz.
LASK v Liverpool takes place at the Raiffeisen Arena on Wednesday, October 14, with kick off at 17:45 BST, which is also the local Irish time for the fixture.
The absentees list keeps growing
Iraola has had to cope with a lengthy injury list all autumn. Liverpool continue without Hugo Ekitike with an Achilles injury, Giovanni Leoni with an ACL injury, and Conor Bradley with a knee injury, while Alexander Isak, Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo are all doubts with tightness, hamstring and ankle problems respectively.
The squad has been stretched further by Champions League registration rules. Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo are both unavailable due to not being named in the Champions League squad, leaving Liverpool with eight first-team players out due to injury and ineligibility. It is a markedly different look to the side assembled by former boss Arne Slot, who left Anfield in the summer.
How Liverpool could line up
With so many first-choice options sidelined, Iraola is expected to stick largely with the group that started against City. Among the names mentioned for the trip to Austria were Alisson in goal behind Ronald Araujo, Jeremy Jacquet, Virgil van Dijk and Milos Kerkez, with Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister anchoring midfield and youngster Lewis Koumas continuing to lead the line in attack.
Champions League debutants looking to cause an upset
For LASK, this is uncharted territory. Liverpool face the simplest of their eight Champions League league phase matches this Wednesday, although they can’t afford complacency against competition debutants LASK. Domestically, the Austrians have started well: after winning the Austrian Bundesliga last season, LASK are third in the early going this season, with Dietmar Kühbauer’s side five points off the pace.
LASK’s own fitness concerns
Kühbauer is not without his own selection headaches. Ramiz Harakate is out with a knee injury for LASK, while Moses Usor is a doubt with a shoulder issue and George Bello has a muscle problem. Defensively, the hosts have shown vulnerability of late, with the Austrians having kept just one clean sheet across their past ten matches and conceded seven times in their last three matches.
Kick-off time and how to watch in Ireland
Irish supporters do not need a subscription to follow the action. LASK vs Liverpool is being shown live on free-to-air Virgin Media Two in Ireland, complete with English commentary, while the game can also be streamed via Virgin Media Play. Coverage begins ahead of the 17:45 kick-off at the Raiffeisen Arena.
Standings and what comes next
Both sides arrive with contrasting opening results from the league phase. In their previous Champions League engagements, LASK were beaten 1-0 when visiting AEK Athens, while Liverpool won 2-1 at home to Atlético Madrid — a result that followed hot on the heels of the drama in Madrid when Atlético Madrid hosted Manchester United earlier in the competition. Early in the new 36-team format, LASK currently sit in 27th position while Liverpool occupy 13th place in the Champions League standings.
A win in Linz would be a timely tonic for Iraola before Liverpool’s attention returns to the Premier League, where the club remain under scrutiny after the Manchester City setback. For now, the priority is restoring momentum in Europe against a LASK side determined to make its continental bow a memorable one.