Liverpool take on the visitors Royale Union SG in the round 2 match of UEFA Europa League group stage. The match will be played on Thursday, October 5th at Anfield (Liverpool).
Liverpool are expected to use this tournament to provide practice for its reserves. The Merseysiders had a strong, albeit somewhat conditional, season in 2021/2022, but they have since declined noticeably. This decline is particularly evident in the Premier League, where Jurgen Klopp's team has slipped out of the top four. Consequently, they are now playing in the Europa League rather than their beloved Champions League, where they were finalists not long ago. However, their priority is undoubtedly to return to the top of the English forum. While things are not perfect there either, lessons from the past have been learned, and the squad has been deepened to ensure resilience. This enables them to secure hard-fought victories and stay among the league leaders. The coaching staff pragmatically views the Europa League as an arena to provide playing time for their reserves. This was the case in Austria against LASK in the first round, where they secured victory in the second half by strengthening the lineup with key players at the right moment.
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Union Saint-Gilloise are trying to maintain the level achieved under the previous coach. Les Unionistes are multiple-time champions of Belgium, although only die-hard fans of local football remember this, as the project has long been in the shadows. However, the impressive collection of trophies may have influenced Tony Bloom's choice. When the owner of English club Brighton was looking for a football investment opportunity in the Benelux region, he chose this club, which was already playing at a semi-amateur level. The project quickly rose to the Jupiler Pro League and immediately became a leader, even finishing first in the regular season. However, they performed worse in the championship playoffs than the experienced Brugge. In the following season, 2022/2023, they finished third in the Jupiler Pro League, but it's worth remembering that it was a good season, culminating in their debut in the Europa League playoffs. However, all of this was under the previous coach, Gerets, who fell out with the management over contract extension negotiations and left. His successor, Alexander Blessin, seemed to have started well with his team on the domestic front, winning most of their matches there. However, they only managed a 1-1 draw with modest French side Toulouse in the Europa League.
The Reds are hosting the Belgians for the first time, and it's only the second season for the Belgians in European competitions. Liverpool will be the favorite in this match, but it's worth noting that they often concede goals even with their main lineup. So, consider the option of both teams to score.
Prediction for the match: Both teams to score – yes.
