Can Liverpool set new Europa League points record on Klopp’s milestone day?

November 9, 2023
Joanna Durkan

Liverpool can secure their place in the knockout stages of the Europa League with a record points haul at Toulouse, which would be the ideal celebration for Jurgen Klopp‘s 450th match.

A win in this game will see Liverpool qualify for the knockout stages, and if Union SG fail to win away to LASK, the Reds will finish as group winners with two games to spare.

They would, therefore, avoid a knockout play-off round in February.

Liverpool have beaten Toulouse in all three previous meetings, winning 4-0 and 5-1 at home as well as in this stadium in a 2007/08 Champions League third qualifying round, thanks to Andriy Voronin’s goal.

Expect rotation…

The Reds have used 25 players in their three Europa League games so far this season, with only Wataru Endo, Darwin Nunez, Harvey Elliott and Ryan Gravenberch starting all three.

Only Elliott has played every minute of the campaign.

In European competition, the Reds have won 14 of their last 15 group games – the loss at Napoli last season being the only non-victory.

And they Reds have lost just one of the last 27 games in all competitions – the controversial loss at Tottenham back in September.

A new record on Klopp’s milestone day?

This will be Liverpool’s 150th game in this competition, in all three of its guises, Fairs Cup, UEFA Cup and Europa League. They have won 81 so far for a win ratio of 54 percent.

A win in this game will see them set a new club record for most points amassed in a Europa League group stage.

It will beat the 10 points they totalled in 2010/11, 2012/13 and 2015/16, when finishing top of the group each time.

This will also see Liverpool play their 450th game under Jurgen Klopp. They have won 278 of those.

But should he be playing?

Mo Salah needs two goals to record 200 in his English club career.

In European competition, he has made six substitute appearances for and has scored six times in those games, averaging a goal as a sub every 23 minutes.

In total, Salah has scored 44 goals in 70 European games for the Reds.

No momentum to be seen

Liverpool are the only English team Toulouse have faced in European competition. They have lost all three meetings, conceding 10 goals.

They currently occupy 14th place in Ligue 1 with 11 points from 11 games, having won twice, and are one point above the relegation zone.

Toulouse are on a run of five games without a victory, and have lost each of the last three. Their last win came against LASK in the second group game of the campaign. That was also their last clean sheet.