Our betting expert expects Liverpool to bounce back from a disappointing weekend. The Reds are likely to record back-to-back UCL victories.
LASK vs Liverpool Betting Predictions
All odds courtesy of bet365 - correct at time of publishing and subject to change
Liverpool have the edge over LASK
Liverpool are going through a minor injury crisis, but the quality of their squad should shine through in a match like this. It’s worth pointing out that the hosts lost their recent two outings from three games, remaining winless in that run. They’ve lost just two of their previous 16 European matches at home, but their record against English opposition is woeful.
The Black-Whites are winless in their last six games against teams from England, of which they lost five. Austrian clubs have struggled against English opposition over the years. They have not recorded a win in such fixtures since 1991, suffering 27 defeats and drawing seven times. The Reds won eight of their last 10 meetings with Austrian opposition, losing just once.
Despite losing at the weekend, Iraola’s side should have enough to get past the hosts on Wednesday night. The Reds won the only two head-to-heads, and on both occasions, they scored a minimum of three goals. As a result, the visitors will likely leave the Raiffeisen Arena with maximum points.
- LASK vs Liverpool Betting Tip 1: Three-way handicap - Liverpool to win with a -1 handicap @ 8/11 with bet365
Goals galore when Liverpool involved
We could see plenty of goals in this match. The hosts have seen eight of their recent 10 matches produce more than two goals. They were quite efficient in front of goal, scoring 26 goals in that run at an average of 2.6 goals per 90.
Five of Liverpool’s last eight matches in all competitions saw the goal count rise above the two-goal line. Half of those games produced goals for both sides on the day, while three of LASK’s last four ended with the same outcome. It’s also worth highlighting that none of the Reds’ last 82 UCL group or league phase games ended goalless.
The visitors have scored exactly twice in five of their last six away games, suggesting they could find the net regularly here. As a result, this fixture is likely to see both teams get onto the scoresheet, with a goal count that goes beyond two.
- LASK vs Liverpool Betting Tip 2: Totals & BTTS - Over 2.5 & Yes @ 8/11 with bet365
Backing Barcola to open his account
Liverpool will be without Gakpo, Isak and Szoboszlai, leaving questions over where their goals will come from. However, they still have plenty of attacking quality, including recent signing Bradley Barcola, who joined from Paris Saint-Germain. The Frenchman could lead the line for Iraola after Lewis Koumas struggled in that role on Sunday.
Barcola is no stranger to this competition, having won it back-to-back with PSG in the last two seasons. He didn’t make much of a difference against City at the weekend, but he could thrive on the European stage. Barcola is yet to score for Liverpool, and this could be the game in which he opens his account.
He tends to strike early in the UCL as well, since his last four goals in this competition came before the 20th minute. He scored in consecutive matches in PSG’s last-16 tie with Chelsea last season. Liverpool will need a similar contribution from Barcola on Wednesday, and we expect him to deliver.
- LASK vs Liverpool Betting Tip 3: Anytime goalscorer - Bradley Barcola @ 11/8 with bet365
Our analysis: Form of both teams
- Score prediction: LASK 1-3 Liverpool
- Goalscorers prediction: LASK: Christoph Lang - Liverpool: Bradley Barcola, Florian Wirtz, Virgil Van Dijk
LASK’s Matchday 1 in the Champions League saw them lose 1-0 to AEK Athens. The result leaves them 27th in the league, well short of the knockout places. However, LASK still have time to improve their position.
Dietmar Kuhbauer’s men have struggled to recover from their opening day defeat, and are still searching for their first win in the competition. That loss also extended their winless run in the league or group phase of European competition to nine games. Their domestic campaign has also stalled, leaving them five points behind leaders SK Rapid after eight matches.
There’s a similar story developing for Liverpool, after their 3-0 weekend defeat to Manchester City. Despite playing in front of a raucous Anfield crowd, the first match after City’s guilty verdict, the Reds weren’t able to capitalise. Perhaps the absence of Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Alexander Isak was too much for the hosts to deal with.
The Champions League offers Andoni Iraola’s men a chance to bounce back after their first defeat under the manager. Liverpool’s opening-day win over Atletico Madrid provides further encouragement ahead of matchday two, where Bournemouth will be eager to respond with a convincing performance.
Probable lineups for LASK vs Liverpool
LASK expected lineup: Jungwirth, Jorgensen, Mbuyamba, Tornich, Andrade, Dibango, Ljubicic, Bogarde, Horvath, Kalajdzic, Lang
Liverpool expected lineup: Alisson, Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Tsimikas, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Munoz, Wirtz, Barcola, Chiesa