Know Your Opponent: Europa League
A quick rundown of our opposition in the UEL
With the Europa League nearly upon us, here is a little background of the three teams that Liverpool will be facing in the group stage of the competition.
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LASK LINZ
The Austrian Bundesliga side is one of the country’s oldest clubs. They were the first non-Vienna-based Austrian outfit to win the title in 1965. They won the double that season with the Austrian ÖFB Cup completing the feat. Sadly though, those are their only trophies to date. LASK has been domestic runners-up multiple times. Since then, they’ve made regular appearances in European competitions, making the knockout rounds of last season’s Europa Conference League.
TOULOUSE
The French side was founded in 1937, but has undergone several name changes over the years before settling on Toulouse Football Club in 1979. Their inclusion in the Europa League came from their triumph in last year’s Coupe de France. This more than made up for their lackluster mid-table finish in Ligue 1. Toulouse hasn’t been in Europe since 2009-10 when they were eliminated from this competition at the group stage phase. They are the only team in our group that we’ve faced previously. Liverpool sent them to the Europa League’s predecessor, the UEFA Cup, by defeating them 5-0 on aggregate in the third round of Champions League qualifying.
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UNION SAINT-GILLOISE
Founded in 1897, they’re more commonly known as Union SG. The club was an early dominant power in Belgian football before falling on hard times in the 1970s. After climbing back up to the First Division in 2021, Union SG made their first-ever Champions League appearance and had a favorable showing after dropping down to the Europa League. Coming off a third-place showing in last season’s Jupiler Pro League, in which they lost two spots on the final day, they could play Cinderella, spoiler, or at least provide a scare. Not to mention, Alexis Mac Allister’s brother, Kevin, plays for them!
THOSE ARE YOUR EUROPA LEAGUE OPPONENTS!
All in all, the teams we’re playing have some experience, and with exceptions, are big players in their respective domestic leagues. Let’s see how our Reds navigate the group!
