(Football news) The Merseyside encounter will put best against worst because the Austrian team has just three points and is ranked bottom in the section, while the Reds lead the way with nine points.
Even though VAR helped Liverpool defeat Manchester City over the weekend, when they faced Toulouse in the Europa League on matchday four, Jurgen Klopp’s team was forced to lament an agonising last-minute call by the referees that went against them.
Liverpool would have secured first place in Group E with two games remaining if they had defeated the Coupe de France winners 5-1 in October. However, Klopp’s bench-warming team lost to Les Violets 3–0 and Jarell Quansah’s late equalizer was disallowed due to a handball in the build-up.
The Reds lost that humiliating 3-2 loss at Stadium Municipal, which prevented them from eliminating the other three teams in the group from first-place contention. Now, Klopp’s team only has a two-point lead over Toulouse in second place, meaning they would have to face elimination rounds in the playoffs instead of making it all the way to the round of sixteen.
To secure a top-two finish, though, the hosts only need to win on Thursday. That would be Liverpool’s eighth straight triumph at Anfield in the second division of European football. Should Toulouse lose to Union SG, a win would also guarantee a top-two ranking.
The Reds unintentionally lost the opportunity to take the lead in the Premier League standings over the weekend, but they still managed to hold Manchester City to a 1-1 draw by coming from behind. They should also be grateful that Manuel Akanji was called for fouling Alisson Becker, as Ruben Dias’ second goal was disallowed.
