With a second win over Toulouse, Liverpool can guarantee their spot in the Europa League knockout rounds in Jurgen Klopp’s 450th game in charge.
Toulouse vs. Liverpool
Group Stage 4 of the Europa League | Toulouse Stadium November 9, 2023 | 5:45 p.m. (GMT)
Two weeks after easily defeating Toulouse 5-1 in their first-ever Europa League group round match, the Reds are now in France for their fourth group stage match.
Despite the disappointing draw at Luton going into the game, Klopp’s team will not lack motivation on Thursday night.
Everything you should know before the Toulouse encounter is here.
1. Jones, Gravenberch and Van Dijk not available
Ryan Gravenberch was also conspicuously absent from the 22-man travelling squad, having played just 83 minutes over the weekend. This leaves Klopp with a decision to make on the left of midfield.
Meanwhile, Merseyside’s Virgil van Dijk is fit but has taken a break.The team has been travelling with Luis Diaz.
Due to their individual injuries, Stefan Bajcetic, Andy Robertson, and Thiago are still out of commission.
2. A win guarantees knockout football
For Liverpool, the options are straightforward: win, and they’ll go to the next round with two games remaining.
Additionally, the Reds will automatically win their group and skip the February knockout play-off round if Union SG loses to LASK in the other group game.
A successful qualifying here will provide the team some much-needed breathing room as they resume a hectic schedule following their November international break. Hopefully, this time they’ll take the easy route!
3. It’s not easy going for the hosts
Toulouse has now gone five games without a win after losing both of their games against the Reds two weeks ago by an overall score of 5-1.
In fact, they last won 1-0 against LASK in the competition’s second group match, which also marked the last time they maintained a clean sheet.
Thus, Liverpool will have plenty of opportunities to play the French team, who will probably use a 4-3-3 formation against the Reds after playing with a back five at Anfield.
Possible Toulouse XI: Restes; Desler, Diarra, Nicolaisen, Suazo; Sierro, Spierings, Casseres Jr; Donnum, Dallinga, Magri
4. Suggestions for fans travelling
Travelling Reds have plenty to look forward to on this, their first trip to Toulouse since 2007. We have some tips for those who plan to make the trip.
Reds fans Nicolas Souyris, who is based in Toulouse, had this to say, “I am confident that the home fans will behave perfectly with us and that it’s going to be a big party of people celebrating European football.”
St Cyprien, Esquirol, Capitole, la Daurade, Jean Jaures, Jeanne d’Arc, Palais de Justice, Carmes, and François Verdier are your best bets if you’re searching for somewhere to hide out before and after the game.
The 33,150-seat Toulouse stadium promises a great atmosphere.
5. It’s an early start
Although this match technically kicks off at 5.45 p.m. (GMT), don’t be fooled into believing it starts at 8 p.m. as we are accustomed to later kickoffs during the week.
This is true for every away game we have in the group stage, which is a pleasant deviation from our typical schedule.
It would provide us a lot of freedom for the final two games if this one ended similarly to our first away trip to Europe this season!
6. 10 more changes for the Reds?
Klopp can rotate his squad more with another midweek match; he might only keep one player from the draw against Luton.
Alexis Mac Allister is the most likely candidate for the left-sided midfield position given that he is suspended for Sunday’s game against Brentford and that there are rumblings about other players who could fill the void.
Wataru Endo should play alongside Harvey Elliott in Toulouse, who has started every game in this competition so far, even if he might be needed over the weekend.
As soon as Ben Doak returns to full fitness, he will be able to replace Mo Salah in the starting lineup, assuming that Diaz is healthy enough to do so.
Possible Reds XI: Kelleher; Gomez, Matip, Quansah, Tsimikas; Endo, Elliott, Mac Allister; Doak, Gakpo, Diaz
7. A club record on the line
This game, which will be Klopp’s 450th as manager of Liverpool, offers his team the opportunity to break a club record.
Should his side triumph, they will have surpassed the ten points earned in 2010/11, 2012/13, and 2015/16 to have the most points ever earned in a group stage of the Europa League in the club’s history.
The Reds won their group in all three of those seasons, but they will aim to emulate 2015–16 as it was the only one to make it to the championship game.
8. 3 already over 1,000 minutes
You do not want to see Alisson, Dominick Szoboszlai, or Salah anywhere close to the starting lineup this time around because they have already accumulated more than 1,000 minutes for Liverpool.
These are the kind of players who want to play every game, but Liverpool should be able to do the job without having to use the three of them. Careful management is required in this situation.
The only Reds players to have played more than 1,000 minutes this season are Salah (1,128 minutes), Szoboszlai (1,107 minutes), and Alisson (1,080 minutes), and they will be more needed on Sunday than they will be in Toulouse.
All of them have travelled, so maybe the Reds won’t use them.
9. The man in the middle
With Georgi Kabakov of Bulgaria taking the middle position, we have a new referee to examine; he has never managed Toulouse or Liverpool.
Despite having previously officiated European competition matches for Man United, Everton, Tottenham, and West Ham.
Let’s hope we keep referee talk limited to the Premier League; we have enough of it already.
