Union Saint-Gilloise vs Liverpool LIVE: Europa League result and reaction as Quansah scores in defeat

Waturu Endo was one of just two players to keep their spots from the weekend, and here is a closer look at the midfielder:

Liverpool summer signing Wataru Endo has found the Premier League more difficult than he expected but is confident he can improve and contribute more.

The 30-year-old Japan international, a £12million arrival from Stuttgart, was viewed as something of a stop-gap solution to the club’s lack of defensive midfielders following Fabinho’s unexpected departure to Saudi Arabia.

While this match is not expected to be the main event in Liverpool’s week - that will be the visit of Manchester United in the Premier League at the weekend, and there will be more fans than usual in attendance:

Liverpool expect to have 57,000 fans in attendance for the visit of Manchester United providing the new Anfield Road Stand receives a safety certificate this week.

A test event on Monday evening is set to be attended by 7,500-plus supporters, who will watch a LFC Foundation mini-game and listen to a question-and-answer session from manager Jurgen Klopp.

Just over half an hour away from kick off and the main talking point surrounds the chance Jurgen Klopp has given his young players, it will be a good chance for them to prove themselves against a side who still have a chance at qualification.

Here is a look at the win that sealed Liverpool’s top spot in the group:

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp declared himself satisfied with the 4-0 victory over LASK which secured top spot in their Europa League group with a match to spare.

Two goals from Cody Gakpo and one apiece from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah, his 199th for the club, saw them coast past the Austrians at Anfield.

Toulouse’s draw with Union Saint-Gilloise meant Klopp’s side cannot be caught at the top and crucially that means avoiding the play-off round when the competition restarts in February.

With top spot secure, Liverpool play their final Europa League group fixture against Union Saint-Gilloise.

Jurgen Klopp’s side will qualify directly into the last 16 of the second-tier continental competition regardless of their result in Belgium, but will want to maintain momentum with a winning finish after moving to the top of the Premier League last weekend.

Their Belgian opponents still have an outside chance of progressing to the knockout round play-offs, but are reliant on Toulouse taking no points from their trip to bottom-placed LASK and overturning a goal difference disadvantage.

Liverpool have kept just two starting XI players from their 2-1 win at Crystal Palace on the weekend, with Jurgen Klopp making nine changes.

As expected, Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgin van Dijk and Mohamed Salah have not made the trip.

Only Jarell Quansah and Waturu Endo have stayed in the 11, while youngsters Ben Doak, Luke Chambers, Conor Bradley and Kaide Gordon have all been handed an opportunity to impress.

Liverpool XI: Kelleher, Chambers, Konate, Quansah, Bradley, Jones, Endo, Elliott, Gordon, Doak, Gakpo.

Subs: Pitaluga, Mrozek, Gomez, Tsimikas, Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, McConnell, Scanlon, Diaz, Nunez, Koumas, Hill.

A bit of an in-joke between sections of Liverpool fans over recent seasons has been to loosely refer to themselves with a word which others have complained about or called them across the campaign: Penaltypool, the tricky Reds, and so on. So for 2023/24, perhaps we’ll refer to them as the late rewrite Reds. After all, they seem increasingly fond of turning defeat into victory at the latest possible moment.

Two goals in the final 12 minutes - plus a lot of stoppage time - gave them a comeback victory at Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, sending them top of the Premier League in the process ahead of Arsenal and the rest being in action across the weekend.

Mohamed Salah believes Liverpool possess a similar mentality to their last title-winning side after his 200th goal for the Reds sparked a 2-1 comeback over 10-man Crystal Palace.

Jurgen Klopp’s men failed to register a shot on target in the first half at Selhurst Park, where the hosts were hoping to bounce back from a disappointing midweek defeat to Bournemouth after which boss Roy Hodgson pleaded for disillusioned fans not to abandon ship.

Before we look ahead to the match coming up, here’ s a look back at the weekend’s match written by Chief Football Writer Miguel Delaney.

If Jurgen Klopp was not in the mood to joke about early kick-offs before Saturday’s game, he was afterwards more than willing to make light about how long they go on for. It was put to the Liverpool manager that Harvey Elliott’s 91st-minute goal at Crystal Palace was the 16th stoppage-time match-winner of his time at Liverpool.

“Yeah, but it gets easier because we play 15 minutes extra.”

Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live blog of Union Saint Gilloise vs Liverpool in the Europa League.

The Reds have already qualified in the top spot, so may use the match to give a much-needed rest ahead of the congested festive fixture schedule, but we will know when the team news comes out.

Stay tuned for all the build up to the match.