LASK vs Liverpool Preview: Team News & Prediction | 2026-27 UEFA Champions League | League Phase
by Alex Lawes ·
Updated
Austrian Bundesliga outfit LASK play in perhaps their biggest ever European tie this midweek as they take on seven-time European champions Liverpool.
Kick-off date/time:
How to watch on TV & online: UK – TNT Sports & HBO Max / USA – Paramount+
LASK preview: Squeezing into the UCL
Having been 4-0 down on aggregate as they approached the second half of their play-off second-leg against Scottish giants Celtic, LASK produced a remarkable and memorable comeback to edge past The Bhoys in extra-time of that tie.
LASK then began the league phase of the UEFA Champions League with a slender 1-0 loss against AEK Athens at the OPAP Arena in Greece due to a super 21st minute free kick scored by Razvan Marin.
Liverpool preview: Collapse at the weekend
After an indifferent start to life at Anfield for Andoni Iraola, Liverpool endured a 3-0 hammering at the hands of Manchester City at the weekend with Ryan Gravenberch’s red card punished by strikes from Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki.
The Reds had perhaps shaded the game up to that stage but their collapse after Gravenberch was sent off for a second bookable offence was followed by a fairly immature and bafflingly weak reaction to going down to ten men by Iraola’s side.
LASK team news: No Bello or Usor
LASK will be without a couple of key men for this one as wing-back George Bello has been sidelined alongside Moses Usor, who was the hero of that aforementioned triumph against Celtic a couple of months ago.
Predicted XI (3-4-1-2): Jungwirth; Andrade, Alemao, Mbuyama; Jorgensen, Bogarde, Horvath, Dibango; Ljubicic; Lang, Kalajdzic
Unavailable: Bello (Injured), Usor (Injured)
Questionable:
Liverpool team news: Key issues
Key attacking duo Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak missed out against Manchester City the other day and are major doubts for this one, too, with Dominik Szoboszlai also a 50/50 one for Iraola after feeling a tightness in his hamstring.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Munoz, Wirtz, Barcola; Koumas
Unavailable: Leoni (Fitness), Bradley (Injured), Ekitike (Injured)
Questionable: Szoboszlai (Fitness), Gakpo (Injured), Isak (Injured)
LASK vs Liverpool prediction
Liverpool need to show a response from the other day but it would be reasonable to suggest they have yet to show any signs of what they could be capable of under Iraola, with their best performance thus far seeing them defeat Ipswich Town by two goals to nil in a game in which they were two up very early on via an Alexander Isak brace. LASK don’t pose too much of a threat should Liverpool avoid a mental collapse akin to that of Celtic or even themselves from the weekend, though, and so they should ease themselves to a much-needed second UEFA Champions League victory of the season after previously coming from behind to see off Atletico Madrid at Anfield.
LASK vs Liverpool Tip: Liverpool to win
