Lask Linz v Liverpool: Champions League preview, predicted line-ups and team news

Liverpool travel to Austria on Wednesday looking to build on a winning start to the Champions League league stage, with Lask Linz still searching for their first point.

Liverpool beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 at Anfield on 9 September. Lask lost 1-0 away at AEK Athens the day before. Bet365 make the visitors 2/7 to win, with the hosts at 19/2.

The Raiffeisen Arena has not seen these two sides since 21 September 2023, when Liverpool won 3-1 in the Europa League. It is a night when the visitors should expect to dominate the ball and the home side to hit them on the break.

Lask got here via two games against Celtic in August. They lost the first leg 3-0 away on 19 August, then won the return 5-1 at home on 25 August. They were still knocked out on aggregate, so Lask drop into the main phase of this competition after a heavy defeat and a rousing, but ultimately fruitless, win.

The numbers from those three matches are lopsided. Lask have scored five goals, all at home, and failed to score in both away games. They have conceded five, an average of 1.7 a game, and their recent-form data shows 23.7 shots a game but an expected goals figure of just 0.72 for.

Liverpool's only league-stage game so far was the 2-1 win over Atletico. They scored once in each half and conceded in the 16-30 minute window. Their expected goals figure for that game was 1.62 against 0.91.

With Liverpool a clear step above their hosts on paper, rotation is a live possibility. A side with a domestic schedule to protect may rest one or two of the regulars, though the quality of the squad means the drop-off should be small.

Lask have a trip that pays little to the home side if they sit deep. They have lost both away games this season and their only win came at home. Expect an energetic start in front of their own crowd.

Lask Linz (3-5-2): Schillinger; Andrade, Alemão, Mbuyamba; Flecker, Horvath, Elfadli, Ljubičić, Bello; Kalajdzic, Usor

Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Frimpong, Van Dijk, Gomez, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Szoboszlai, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak

The game kicks off at 17:45 BST on Wednesday 14 October at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz. It is shown on TNT Sports where selected.

This is a single league-stage match, not a two-legged tie. A winner is not required in the league phase, so there is no extra time or penalty shootout: if level after 90 minutes, the match ends as a draw.