Having never met in the European arena, the confrontation between LASK and Liverpool in the opening round of the Europa League group stage at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz at 11:45 p.m. on September 21 promises to be very interesting. (FPT Play directly).
As a regular guest of the Europa League despite never having advanced deeply in this tournament in the past half decade, LASK is no stranger to English teams, having lost heavily to Tottenham or Man United. Continuing to meet a powerful representative of the English Premier League, Liverpool, in the Europa League group stage this season, LASK’s chance to win becomes more fragile than ever.
The difference in class compared to the team that has reached the Champions League final three times in the last 6 seasons, with one championship title, is the biggest barrier for host LASK, despite the team. coach Thomas Sageder is currently ranked third in the Austrian Bundesliga rankings and has an 8-match unbeaten streak in all competitions.
The transfer budget from the beginning of 2023 is only 2.4 million euros, completely insufficient for LASK to bring in any famous players in Europe. Meanwhile, Liverpool spent nearly 40 million euros on 21-year-old player Ryan Gravenberch alone to beautify the bench when “The Kop” midfield is full of stars.
Liverpool’s extremely strong attack is enough to bring victory. (Photo: REUTERS)
Just a few statistical details and comparisons are enough to see the huge gap between host and guest, affirming that Liverpool will not only prove its strength in Group E (with LASK, Union Saint-Gilloise, Toulouse present) but also wants to become the dominant force in the Europa League this season. Having just gone through a season where the results were not as expected (eliminated from the round of 16 of the Champions League, ranked 5th in the Premier League), Liverpool will definitely use the second-tier European arena to quickly find a way back. top position.
Without massive shopping this past summer, coach Juergen Klopp’s Liverpool is still on the right track with 1 draw and 4 wins in the Premier League, including 3 wins with a wide margin despite being led by the opponent. table. The bravery and experience of “The Kop” is unquestionable and Liverpool has reason to believe they will win all 3 points when they visit LASK’s field.
The “Red Brigade” just needs to note that their opponents are playing very stably with a series of 8 unbeaten matches (6 wins, 2 draws) and LASK strikers have conceded 10 goals in the last 3 matches. . Van Dijk’s timely return will add strength to Liverpool’s defense, which has been playing quite erratically with 4/5 matches conceding goals since the beginning of the season. Defending firmly while the attacking players are in good form is an optimistic sign for Liverpool.
