Seeking to bounce back from their controversial Premier League defeat against Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend will be Liverpool who welcome Belgian side Union SG to Anfield for a Group E clash in the Europa League on Thursday.
The Reds currently sit top of their group after coming from behind to beat LASK Linz 3-1 on matchday one two weeks ago. On the same day, Union SG played out a 1-1 draw with French Ligue 1 side Toulouse.
Liverpool’s 17-game unbeaten run in the Premier League was brought to an end in both dramatic and controversial circumstances when they suffered a 2-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday – their first defeat in all competitions since April 1.
Luis Diaz had a first-half goal wrongly disallowed due to a “significant human error” by VAR, just 10 minutes after Curtis Jones was contentiously dismissed for a late tackle following a VAR review.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp vented his frustration at the officials after the match and they have since released a strong statement claiming that sporting integrity has been undermined, PGMOL’s apology notwithstanding.
Liverpool will look to put all that behind them in their first-ever meeting with Union SG. The Reds have won 15 of their last 21 Europa League home matches, and they have lost only one of their previous 15 meetings with Belgian teams.
Competing in the Europa League group stage for the second successive season, Union SG have won three consecutive matches in the Belgian Pro League since their draw with Toulouse two weeks ago.
They overcame Charleroi 3-1 in their last match over the weekend, a result that helped the Saint-Gilles-based club maintain their position at the top of the table after six games.
Union SG reached the Europa League quarter-finals last season after topping their group, but doing it again in a group that has European giants Liverpool seems too steep a mountain to climb!
If they somehow avoid defeat against an angry Liverpool on Thursday, Union SG will become the first Belgian side to do so at Anfield.
Team news
Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo is facing several weeks out with a knee injury sustained during defeat to Tottenham.
Thiago Alcantara (hip) and Stefan Bajcetic (calf) both remain sidelined. Trent Alexander-Arnold has recovered from a hamstring issue so he’s expected to get some minutes.
As for Union SG, their only injury concern is with star striker Dennis Eckert Ayensa, who has missed the last four games with a knock. He will be assessed ahead of this clash. Everyone else is available for selection.
