Lask v Liverpool: Champions League – reside
Key occasions
Liverpool purpose disallowed!
31 min: Koumas takes a by ball fantastically on the flip, outmuscles Andrade and rounds the advancing Jungwirth, earlier than tucking a end into the nook! But replays present Koumas was juuuuuuust offside when he first took the cross, to the rating stays at 2-0.
28 min: Lask are going to must shake issues up if they’ll get something from this recreation. They usually play with wing-backs, this isn’t only a defensive formation as a result of Liverpool are on the town. But their 5-3-2 isn’t working.
26 min: Iraola challenged his gamers to step up within the absence of Isak, Szoboszlai and Gakpo and Liverpool have performed simply that. Lask began the stronger, however Liverpool are utterly dominant now, with 69% possession. They may simply be three or 4 up.
GOAL! Lask 0-2 Liverpool (Barcola 24)
Barcola scores his first Liverpool purpose! But this can be a strike made by Ngumoha who sends Andrés Andrade, Lask’s captain, again to Panama with a sequence of feints and dips on the byline. Ngumoha has severe claims for a penalty as he hits the deck, however Koumas collects the ball, turns properly away from his marker and lays it on a plate for Barcola, who strokes a end into the nook from close to the penalty spot!
GOAL! Lask 0-1 Liverpool (Araújo 22)
Araújo threatened from a nook only a second in the past and now the Barcelona loannee makes no mistake from the subsequent Tsimikas nook, thundering a header previous Jungwirth! Such a poor purpose for Last to concede however Araújo was just too robust!
20 min: Adeniran, who scored twice in opposition to Celtic in qualifying, is making himself an actual nuisance on the counter-attack for Lask. The massive, burly ahead acquired the higher of Jacquet and almost edged Tsimikas out the best way on the byline earlier than the Greek acquired a toe in.
17 min: Chance for Araújo! The Uruguayan, beginning at centre-back for the primary time tonight, climbs highest from a Tsimikas nook however can’t get his header heading in the right direction from six yards out.
14 min: Liverpool are beginning to flip the screw now. Lask can’t appear to get out. The guests are most likely consistently with Wirtz and Barcola wanting probably the most threatening.
Genius from Wirtz!
11 min: Wirtz, chopping in from the left, chops between two Lask defenders and fires a near-post shot at purpose. Jungwirth nearly retains it out, the ball simply failing to squeeze underneath the goalkeeper’s legs.
9 min: Contrary to pre-match ideas from TNT, Barcola is the one enjoying left wing for Liverpool, with Ngumoha on the appropriate.
7 min: Chance for Lask and Jorgensen! Liverpool fail to clear their strains from a nook with the ball falling to the right-wing again, however Jorgensen laces a fierce shot simply a few yards over! Lask are enjoying the higher stuff, to date.
6 min: Koumas beats the offside entice, rounds the advancing keeper however is pressured extensive and might’t squeeze a end into the open purpose from an acute angle, with Mbuyamba doing effectively to get better and intercept!
5 min: Lask mount their first severe assault and a harmful cross to the again put up is effectively defended by Tsimikas, underneath stress from Jorgensen.
3 min: Frimpong, who has one thing to show since shedding his beginning place, curls an optimistic shot excessive and extensive together with his left foot. One of the worst weak foots within the recreation, for my cash.
2 min: Two minutes performed and Lask haven’t but had a literal kick. Liverpool appear content material to hog the ball and attempt to take the sting out of the environment. Lask’s followers are vigorous behind their very own purpose. This is their first ever dwelling Champions League match, bear in mind.
Peeeeeeeeeeeeep!
We are underway in Austria.
“The recreation is a two-part puzzle much like yesterday’s Arsenal v Lille,” emails AnhTuan Nguyen Huynh. “Lask have the primary half to do what they should do whereas Liverpool’s massive weapons are on the bench. Lask are going to have their say earlier than Liverpool’s calvary arrives within the second half.”
Here come the groups! Kostas Tsimikas is Liverpool captain for the night time! I’m stunned that both Alisson or Gravenberch didn’t get the nod for that.
Lask will play of their third pink equipment (?!), so Liverpool are sporting their white away quantity. Bizarre, when each groups may have simply worn their dwelling kits. Lask historically play in black and white.
Andoni Iraola, Liverpool’s supervisor, speaks to TNT:
We play each three days so we can’t anticipate to play each recreation with the identical XI. This is an effective alternative to provide Van Dijk a relaxation.
Koumas and Ngumoha are coming from the academy however they’re first-team gamers. I hope they do effectively. This is the Champions League, each win could be very costly, particularly away from dwelling.
“Should I be the author of the primary Wirtz e mail then?” asks Graeme Neill. “I believe Sunday was when my endurance lastly went. Up till that time, I figured it will click on impulsively however now all I can consider is a extremely wanted younger German participant who was seen as a no brainer signing however flopped within the Premier League: Timo Werner.”
“Did you ever discover that if you happen to sort ‘Wirtz’ too quick in your keyboard it comes out as ‘Worse’?” quips Peadar de Burca.
Florian Wirtz is an actual jugador however actually has struggled to indicate his greatest kind in a Liverpool shirt. This is an enormous recreation for the German. If you missed his efficiency for Germany in opposition to Serbia throughout the transnational break, you may watch the highlights of his elegant purpose and help here. Woof.
It’s price remembering Lask’s path to this match. They received the home double final season in Austria and got here again from 4 objectives all the way down to beat Celtic 5-4 (on combination) over two legs in Champions League qualifying. Here is a reminder of that exceptional comeback … and the highlights are here.
In their opening league part match, a 1-0 defeat to AEK Athens was way more underwhelming.
TNT Sport appear to suppose it is going to be Ngumoha, not Barcola, on the left wing for Liverpool. Interesting to see if that’s true. Ngumoha was poor on the appropriate wing after I watched him in opposition to Newcastle on the opening day and as I discussed, Barcola has but to register both an purpose or an help since his transfer from PSG from the left wing, so is smart for Iraola to strive it the opposite manner round, even when Barcola has historically all the time performed his greatest stuff from the left.
The excellent news for Lask is that Iraola has rested a number of first-choice gamers, with Van Dijk, Kerkez, Mac Allister, Munoz all on the bench. Liverpool have a testing journey to Brentford on Saturday, bear in mind.
The unhealthy information for Lask is that arguably their star man, Moses Usor, isn’t match and neglected of the squad solely. The Nigerian winger got here off the bench throughout Lask’s 2-0 defeat to Austrian Bundesliga leaders Rapid Vienna on the weekend however lasted solely 12 minutes earlier than he needed to be withdrawn once more. Lask’s beginning left-back, George Bello, was additionally injured in that match and it’s substitute Yvan Dibango, who begins at left-wing again right here.
The groups!
Lask (5-3-2): Jungwirth; Jorgensen, Mbuyamba, Alemao, Andrade, Dibango; Danek, Bogarde, Schopf; Lang, Adeniran.
Subs: Schutzenauer, Schillinger, Freckleton, Ljubicic, Kalajdzic, Verhaeghe, Elfadli, Flecker, Kane.
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Frimpong, Araujo, Jacquet, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Nyoni; Barcola, Wirtz, Ngumoha; Koumas.
Subs: Mamardashvili, Woodman, Gomez, Van Dijk, Kerkez, Mac Allister, Munoz, Chambers, McConnell, Danns, Lambie, Lucky.
Referee: Tobias Stieler (Germany)
Preamble
The solely earlier time that Liverpool have visited Lask, within the Europa League again in 2023, Jürgen Klopp was nonetheless supervisor of the membership and the German put out a largely second-string XI, with Caoimhin Kelleher, Kostas Tsimikas, Harvey Elliott, Steven Bajcetic, Ben Gannon-Doak, Wataru Endo, Darwin Núñez all a part of the beginning line-up.
At half-time, Lask had been 1-0 up and though Núñez scored a penalty early within the second half, it was solely after the hour mark – when Klopp introduced on Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister – that Liverpool lastly wrestled management of the match. Two minutes after these subs, Luis Diaz put Liverpool forward earlier than one other late substitute, Mohamed Salah got here off the bench to seal a 3-1 win.
Nearly all of these gamers (and supervisor) are unavailable immediately, both having left the membership or sidelined with harm, and Andoni Iraola will certainly decide a a lot stronger XI this time round. Not solely as a result of the Spaniard can unwell afford a slip up in Austria, but in addition as a result of Lask are extra achieved since that final Liverpool go to, with the Linz-based membership profitable the Austrian Bundesliga final season for the primary time since 1965. Absences of key personnel – together with Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai, his three main goalscorers – implies that Iraola will certainly play his greatest staff the place he can. Some gamers, together with Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola (the latter with no purpose or an help in six appearances since his £123m arrival from Paris Saint-Germain, and even win possession within the remaining third) desperately must play themselves into kind if the Reds are to play once more within the Champions League subsequent season. Iraola has mentioned he trusts the £100m+ pair, which is no less than one thing.
Liverpool must be cautious of striker Christoph Lang, who has began this season like a practice with 5 objectives in eight league matches. It can be an enormous blow for Lask if Moses Usor isn’t match – the winger topped each the membership’s scoring and assists of their double-winning season final 12 months and scored on his Nigeria debut throughout the current transnational break however is a doubt for this match. Melayro Bogarde, nephew to former Ajax, Barcelona and Chelsea defender Winston Bogarde, is one other essential cog on the base of Lask’s midfield.
An intriguing kick-off at 5.45pm BST for an intriguing match-up. And one which Liverpool shouldn’t take frivolously.
