Liverpool will begin their Europa League campaign with a clash against Austrian Bundesliga side LASK Linz in Austria and albeit perhaps not the competition The Reds would want to be in, there is no doubt Jurgen Klopp and co will be out to add more silverware to the Anfield cabinet.
Following on from a start start to the Premier League season, Klopp’s side can approach Europe with renewed confidence and will even be afforded the opportunity to rest and rotate key players as they see fit.
Whilst the Austrian side preset a genuine threat, as do both Toulouse and Union Saint-Gilloise – all three sides that will no doubt relish the opportunity to topple European superpower such as Liverpool – qualification to the knockout phase should prove comfortable and indeed, top spot will be the priority.
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Predicted XI
Although many may expect wholesale changes, it’s unlikely Klopp will want to upset the rhythm of the squad entirely and will view this more as an opportunity to get key minutes into some and key rest into others.
The likes of Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Wataru Endo, Ryan Gravenberch and Stefan Bajcetic will all be chomping at the bit to feature out in Austria, whilst Kostas Tsimikas and Caoimhín Kelleher feel almost nailed on to play prominently in the Europa League.
Both Thiago and Trent Alexander-Arnold remain sidelined, whilst youngsters Ben Doak and Jarell Quansah will both be desperate to continue their first-team adventures.
My XI: Caoimhín Kelleher, Joe Gomez, Jarell Quansah, Virgil van Dijk, Kostas Tsimikas; Wataru Endo, Ryan Gravenberch, Harvey Elliott; Ben Doak, Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo.
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Redmen Reacts
Qualifying from the group in top spot is essential for The Reds to avoid an additional fixture further down the line and ensure the feel-good factor continues away from domestic action.
Not needing an away-from-home comeback would be a welcome change and as such, Liverpool will want to dominate proceedings from the outset in Austria and exert their strengths in the match wherever possible.
With only a few changes expected at this stage of the group phase, Klopp’s charges will be looking to secure their spot in the latter rounds early and kicking off with a 2-0 victory here would be the ideal opening.
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