Toulouse vs Liverpool preview: team news, lineups, TV, kick-off time & prediction
Liverpool can qualify for the Europa League knockouts with two games to spare this Thursday.
Jurgen Klopp's Reds are yet to drop a point in Europe this season and just a draw away at Toulouse will confirm their qualification from Group E.
Liverpool will travel to France eager to get back to winning ways after the frustration of that 1-1 draw away at Luton Town.
Klopp and co had been in great form prior to an afternoon mired by poor finishing and will be confident of regaining their composure against an out-of-sorts Toulouse, who lost 5-1 at Anfield in the last round of Europa League fixtures.
READ MORE: Who are Toulouse? Everything you need to know about Liverpool's Europa League opponents
Here's everything you need to know about this one.
DATE, KICK-OFF, STADIUM, REFEREE
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Date: Thursday, 9 November 2023
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Kick-off time: 17:45 GMT / 12:45 ET / 09:45 PT
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Stadium: Stadium de Toulouse
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Referee: TBD
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
Liverpool have only faced Toulouse three times in their history to date, with the most recent meeting just two weeks ago, of course.
The Reds ran out 5-1 winners at Anfield in the third gameweek of this season's Europa League, with Diogo Jota, Wataru Endo, Darwin Nuñez, Ryan Gravenberch and Mohamed Salah all on the scoreheet.
That game also saw youngster Luke Chambers get his first start for the club has been at since the age of six.
Prior to this season, Liverpool's only encounters with Toulouse came in the Champions League in 2007, with the Reds winning the two-leg qualifiers 1-0 and 4-0 respectively.
In three games, the aggregate scoreline reads: Liverpool 10-1 Toulouse.
WHERE TO WATCH TOULOUSE VS LIVERPOOL ON TV
For Liverpool fans in the UK, the game will be available to watch live on TNT Sports 1 and stream on the discovery+ app.
In the United States, the game can be found on Paramount+ and ViX.
In Canada, viewers can watch on DAZN.
Match commentary, highlights and full match replay will be available after the game around the world on LFCTV GO.
LIVERPOOL TEAM NEWS
The Reds are still missing Spanish midfielders Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic, with Klopp recently providing updates on the pair's ongoing fitness problems.
Meanwhile, Andy Robertson's shoulder surgery means he is likely to be out for the majority of the rest of the year.
Curtis Jones' 'minor fitness issue' caused him to miss the weekend's trip to Luton, but he could be available here, while Alexis Mac Allister's impending Premier League suspension is not applicable in the Europe.
Expect Klopp to make multiple changes to his starting XI once again, with Jarell Quansah and Ben Doak among the youngsters vying for more game time.
Whether Wataru Endo starts may give an indication over how the manager intends to set up his team for the weekend's clash with Brentford in the absence of Mac Allister.
Toulouse team news
Without a win in their last five in all competitions, the hosts also have a fair few injury concerns going into this one.
Defender Oliver Zanden remains out, while winger Zakaria Aboukhlal (knee) and attacking midfielder Denis Genreau (back) are also major doubts.
Predicted Lineup
(4-3-3): Kelleher; Gomez, Matip, Quansah, Chambers; Mac Allister, Elliott, Jones; Doak, Gakpo, Jota.
Prediction
With only a point necessary to secure qualification to the knockout rounds, there is little pressure on Liverpool going into the second half of the Europa League group stage fixtures.
That said, Klopp will be keen to wrap things up cleanly and quickly with two games to spare and Toulouse, realistically, shouldn't pose too much of a problem – regardless of the team the boss puts out.
The hosts are just one point above the relegation playoff spot in Ligue 1 after a tough start to the season, and their last win in any competition came against LASK back at the start of October.
As long as the Reds take their chances, this one should be relatively comfy.
Toulouse 1-3 Liverpool