PREVIEW: Reds seek European response after Anfield setback

Liverpool will look to make it two wins from two in the UEFA Champions League when they travel to Austria to face LASK on Wednesday, hoping to bounce back from their crushing defeat to Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.

Liverpool opened their European campaign with a 2-1 victory against Atlético Madrid at Anfield over a month ago, with Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister getting on the scoresheet. The Reds will be looking to strengthen their position in the table in their first away fixture of this season’s Champions League campaign.

Andoni Iraola’s side suffered a major blow in the Premier League this weekend, losing 3-0 to Manchester City at Anfield. Down to ten men following Ryan Gravenberch’s sending-off, the Reds quickly lost control of the game, conceding three goals in less than 15 minutes.

Liverpool will now be keen to respond in Europe, with Iraola saying at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday afternoon that the fixture “is a game we want to win, we need to win”.

Liverpool have a strong record in Europe, finishing third last season behind Bayern Munich and Arsenal after topping the table in the 2024/25 season.

The two sides have faced each other twice, with Liverpool beating LASK on both occasions, winning 3-1 and 4-0 in the UEFA Europa League group stage in 2023/24.

LASK will be looking to claim their first points in the Champions League this season following a 1-0 loss to AEK Athens in their opening fixture.

They have not had the smoothest start to the season, picking up just one win in their last five games across all competitions. Their most recent match, against Rapid Wien in the Austrian Bundesliga, ended in a 2-0 defeat, dropping them to third place in the table.

Despite this, LASK have shown that they can be tough to beat at home, having lost just two of their 16 European matches at the Raiffeisen Arena. Head coach Dietmar Kühbauer said at the pre-match press conference that LASK are “clearly the underdogs”, but that the squad “must truly believe that something is possible”.

Liverpool will be without several key players through injury, namely Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak, while LASK winger Moses Usor is a doubt after sustaining a shoulder injury on Sunday.

With Liverpool looking to build sustained momentum in the league phase and LASK desperate to get their first points on the board, Wednesday’s meeting presents an important opportunity for both sides.

The match kicks off at the Raiffeisen Arena at 5:45pm BST on Wednesday 14 October.