LASK scout report: Who are Liverpool’s Europa League opponents?

Liverpool will begin their Europa League campaign away in Austria as they are set to face LASK in their opening group game.

It will be the first time since 2016 that the club has taken part in the European competition after finishing fifth in the Premier League last season.

Their last involvement was the 2016 final against Sevilla which came in Jurgen Klopp’s first season in charge, but now they are back and stand as firm favourites to win the competition - something the club hasn’t done since winning the UEFA Cup in 2001.

But who are their opponents on Thurday night? LASK, otherwise known as Linzer Athletik-Sport-Klub, qualified via their league position in the Austrian Bundesliga last season and they will be in good spirits as they are currently on an unbeaten streak of six games at the start of the new season.

LASK vs Liverpool - do they offer much of a threat?

LASK finished third last season in the Austrian top-flight behind SK Sturm Graz and RB Salzburg which was enough to secure European qualification but they still finished 17 points behind leaders Salzburg.

The start of the new season sees them sit third with 14 points behind SK (17 points) and Salzburg (19 points) having won four, drawn two and lost once to the team above them in second-place.

Currently, they’ve won six of their last eight in all competitions (including friendlies) and have drawn twice during that spell and come into this game with a huge amount of confidence.

They are also aiming to once again reach the knockout stages of the Europa League, having recently achieved the feat in both 2019 and 2022.

Where is LASK?

LASK is located in Linz which sits in the Northern region of Austria and is the oldest club in the region having been founded in 1908.

They play at the impressive Raiffeisen Arena which was built on the site of the Linzer Stadium, which was built in 1953 and demolished in 2021.

The new arena has a total of 19,080 seats, with 17,117 seats available for international matches.

Key LASK players to watch out for

After the weekend’s 3-1 win over Klagenfurt, which saw them score three times in eight minutes, there are a few players in form to watch.

As it stands, their most active goal threat is their club captain Robert Zulj who has scored five goals and provided four assists in 10 games in all competitions.

They typically set up in a 4-3-3 or 3-4-3 formation and operate with three attackers, that includes Zulj and Marin Ljubicic (who netted in their latest 3-1 victory) but there’s a whole host of young attackers they can call upon.

What has been said about Liverpool by LASK

Speaking ahead of the game, captain Zulj spoke with confidence - he told Sky Sports Austria: “It’s the game of the year for every player, every employee of the club and every fan. Of course we want to give it out best and see what happens.”

Their manager, Thomas Sageder, will speak to the media later today.