Lask host Liverpool in the Champions League, with kick-off at 5.45pm BST. It is the second meeting between the clubs, and Liverpool’s first visit to the Austrian side since the two were drawn together in the Europa League in 2023.
The good news for Lask is that Iraola has rested several first-choice Liverpool players. Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez, Alexis Mac Allister and Munoz are all on the bench, with Liverpool facing a testing trip to Brentford on Saturday.
The bad news for Lask is that arguably their star man, Moses Usor, is not fit and has been left out of the squad entirely. The Nigerian winger came off the bench during Lask’s 2-0 defeat to Austrian Bundesliga leaders Rapid Vienna at the weekend but lasted only 12 minutes before he had to be withdrawn again. Lask’s starting left-back, George Bello, was also injured in that match, and it is his replacement, Yvan Dibango, who starts at left-wing back here.
The only previous time Liverpool visited Lask, Jürgen Klopp was still manager and the German put out a largely second-string XI, with Caoimhin Kelleher, Kostas Tsimikas, Harvey Elliott, Stefan Bajcetic, Ben Gannon-Doak, Wataru Endo and Darwin Núñez all part of the starting line-up.
Lask led 1-0 at half-time that night, and although Núñez scored a penalty early in the second half, it was only after the hour mark — when Klopp brought on Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister — that Liverpool finally wrestled control of the match. Two minutes after those substitutions, Luis Diaz put Liverpool ahead, before another late substitute, Mohamed Salah, came off the bench to seal a 3-1 win.