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Liverpool are back in Europa League action as they host Austrian side LASK an Anfield this evening hoping to get back to winning ways after a shock defeat to Toulouse in their last European outing. The Reds are top of Group E with nine points from their four matches and have a two-point buffer over the French side in second. Jurgen Klopp will have his sights set on topping the table and moving straight into the round of 16. Victory tonight would secure Liverpool’s place in that stage if Toulouse also lose to Union Saint-Gilloise but that is not a guarantee. First the need to get past LASK who are currently third in the Austrian Bundesliga. They will come to Anfield with some confidence having beaten Union Saint-Gilloise 3-0 last time out but that was their first win of the Europa League this season. Can they cause a shock on Merseyside tonight? Follow all the action as Liverpool host LASK plus get the latest odds and tips right here:

David Moyes wants West Ham to finish the job off and top their Europa League group. Tomas Soucek struck late on yet again as the Hammers secured their passage into the knock-out stages with a 1-0 win against Backa Topola in Serbia. Now they need to avoid defeat to Freiburg at the London Stadium in a fortnight to ensure they top Group A and avoid a two-legged play-off in February. “We’re thrilled at West Ham that we’re going to play in Europe after Christmas time for the third season,” Hammers boss Moyes said at his post-match press conference. “Even playing Freiburg in the last game to win the group is hugely important. But I’d have taken this at the start of the season, if you’d said we’ll finish second I’d have taken that. “Freiburg are a good side and we are going to have to play well.” Czech midfielder Soucek, who struck with an 89th-minute volley to settle a poor match, has now scored in his last five matches for club and country. Soucek also hit the late goal which secured a 2-1 win at Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday. “Tomas is in great form, not only for us but for his country as well,” added Moyes. “Let’s continue. His first season he got 10 goals for us and it’s seven now so he has a chance to reach that figure again. “We made a few changes, some with illness, we were always going to try some other players tonight to give them game time.” “We scored two late goals on Saturday to beat Burnley and as a manager sometimes it’s good to win game late.” Read More Tomas Soucek snatches late winner for West Ham in Serbia Joao Pedro penalty sends Brighton through to Europa League knockout stages Five bad weeks do not define a team – England’s Ben Duckett Daniel Levy ‘proud’ as report reveals Tottenham’s investment in local community Wales call on Chris Coleman in bid to boost Women’s Nations League hopes The key talking points ahead of England’s Women’s Nations League double-header

Tomas Soucek struck late on yet again as West Ham secured their passage into the knock-out stages of the Europa League despite a Serbian snooze-fest against Backa Topola. The Czech midfielder has now scored in his last five matches for club and country after an 89th-minute volley earned a scratchy 1-0 win. Now they need to finish the job against Freiburg at the London Stadium in a fortnight to ensure they top the group and avoid a two-legged play-off in February. Around 320 hardy West Ham fans made the 2,000-mile journey out to the Balkans, including a 100-mile trek up the motorway from Belgrade to the TSC Arena. Many of them had got their wish, in the absence of injured forwards Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio, of a first start of the season for 19-year-old FA Youth Cup-winning striker Divin Mubama. But the youngster barely got a sniff of the ball as West Ham struggled to rouse themselves in the sleepy Serbian town. The hosts came into the encounter on the back of a 4-0 win over Super League leaders Partizan at the weekend, and they made a confident start with Uros Milovanovic forcing an early save from Lukasz Fabianski. Then an error from Aaron Cresswell, handed a rare start in one of seven changes from the side which snatched a late win at Burnley thanks to Soucek’s goal, gifted Aleksandar Cirkovic a shooting opportunity with Fabianski saving again. West Ham registered their first shot on target after half an hour, a tame effort from Said Benrahma on his 150th West Ham appearance which was easily dealt with by Veljko Ilic. But it was a mind-numbing first half neatly summed up by former player Joe Cole, on TNT Sports, as “dross” and “appalling”. Boss David Moyes turned to Danny Ings and the lesser-spotted Maxwel Cornet just after the hour, replacing Benrahma and Mubama, in a bid to inject some life into his unconvincing side. And as the game ticked into stoppage tie Cornet crossed from the left and Soucek hammered in a volley to win it. West Ham have enjoyed a thrilling run in Europe over the past three seasons, including their historic Europa Conference League final triumph in Prague. Although this was not one which will live long in the memory it was an 18th win in 20 matches in Europe, job done for Moyes and his side. Read More Joao Pedro penalty sends Brighton through to Europa League knockout stages Five bad weeks do not define a team – England’s Ben Duckett Daniel Levy ‘proud’ as report reveals Tottenham’s investment in local community Wales call on Chris Coleman in bid to boost Women’s Nations League hopes The key talking points ahead of England’s Women’s Nations League double-header Kevin Sinfield vows to keep raising funds to combat MND ahead of new challenge

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Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has vowed to not stand still in his ambition to drive further positive change in the area of the club’s stadium. An in-depth analysis of Spurs’ socio-economic impact from the 2021-22 season by law company EY has found the club now contribute around £900million of gross output to London’s economy, generating an additional £478m of Growth Value Added (GVA) in London. A total of £296m of this GVA is for the borough of Haringey specifically, which is a vast increase on the £120m GVA per annum being generated in 2015 when the club called 36,284-seater White Hart Lane its home. This study, which follows a benchmark report by Tottenham in 2015, also estimated the growth of the club’s socio-economic impact will reach £585m GVA by the 2026-27 season with around 4,300 jobs, in comparison to the 1,800 jobs it supported eight years ago. EY’s report follows the news Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which hosts non-football events all-year round, has been selected as one of the venues for Euro 2028. Spurs chairman Levy said: “Delivering tangible benefits to those living on our doorstep has always been a driving factor since we initially undertook the stadium development project – four years on from the stadium’s opening, this report clearly shows the difference it is making to people’s lives and the economic prosperity it is bringing to our community. “We will not stand still – with plans for further Visitor Attractions, notably F1 DRIVE-London, new homes, a new creative quarter and a hotel in the years to come, this area that we are so passionate about will continue to benefit from the club’s investment and being home to one of the world’s greatest football clubs and stadia. “Everyone involved should be extremely proud of the findings of our latest socio-economic impact report.” Football has the power to unite communities, and this report shows football clubs can play a major role in building a better and more prosperous London for everyone. Sadiq Khan Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, added: “It’s fantastic to see the positive impact that the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has had in the local area – from job opportunities and skills learning to local small business investment. “Football has the power to unite communities, and this report shows football clubs can play a major role in building a better and more prosperous London for everyone.” Read More Wales call on Chris Coleman in bid to boost Women’s Nations League hopes The key talking points ahead of England’s Women’s Nations League double-header Kevin Sinfield vows to keep raising funds to combat MND ahead of new challenge

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England complete their group games in the inaugural Women’s Nations League over the next few days, playing the Netherlands at Wembley on Friday and then Scotland at Hampden Park on Tuesday. Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the talking points ahead of the double-header. Must-win This competition provides England with the chance to secure Paris 2024 Olympic qualification for Great Britain, should they first finish top of Group A1 – something they are in considerable danger of failing to do. Lying third with six points from four games, three points behind the Dutch and one behind Belgium, they have to win on Friday to stay in contention. They lost 2-1 in the Netherlands in September, and were also beaten in their most recent outing, 3-2 away against Belgium. Relegation threat If England are defeated again by Wiegman’s old side, and Belgium beat Scotland at home the same night, as well as the Olympic bid being over, the Lionesses will be confirmed as entering the Nations League relegation play-offs. After the highs of the last two years under her management, that scenario would represent some come down for the European champions and World Cup runners-up. The Scotland situation While it remains to be seen what the state of play is come Tuesday, a talking point from the word go as England headed into this competition as the one home nation able to claim Olympic qualification for GB has been that their group includes a Scotland outfit with players also holding Paris hopes. England midfielder Keira Walsh has described the situation as “a little bit strange”, but said of Tuesday: “If I’m putting myself in their shoes, it’s a big game against England. They’re going to want to win.” Wiegman’s team beat Scotland 2-1 in Sunderland in their group opener in September. No Bright England, already without Leah Williamson, also for these two games have the player who has skippered the team in her absence, fellow defender Millie Bright, out injured due to a knee issue. Wiegman has confirmed goalkeeper Mary Earps will wear the armband. Mead’s return England also have a big-name player back in the fold, with the fit-again Beth Mead – like Williamson, absent from the summer’s World Cup as she recovered from an ACL injury – having been recalled. Wiegman said it was as if Mead “hasn’t been away” without confirming whether the forward would start or not on Friday. Any appearance would be her first at international level in just over a year for the Euro 2022 Golden Boot winner. Read More Wales call on Chris Coleman in bid to boost Women’s Nations League hopes Shameful and not right – Saracens boss condemns Owen Farrell treatment Kevin Sinfield vows to keep raising funds to combat MND ahead of new challenge Andre Onana – Do the numbers back up the criticism? On This Day in 2004 – Sir Matthew Pinsent announces retirement from rowing Arsenal through to last 16 as Manchester United squander lead again

Wales have enlisted the support of former manager Chris Coleman to help them avoid relegation from the Women’s Nations League. Coleman memorably led Wales to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 and spoke to boss Gemma Grainger and her squad before Friday’s relegation decider against Iceland in Cardiff. Wales need to probably win by a two-goal margin to stay in League A, as well as boost their Euro 2025 qualifying hopes, and Coleman gave the lowdown on his time as men’s team manager between 2012 and 2017 during a 20-minute Zoom call on Wednesday. “One of the things we have done in terms of the mindset and mentality is being fortunate enough to spend some time with Chris Coleman,” Grainger said at her pre-match press conference. “We spoke to Chris around some of the work he did with the men’s team because that journey is so similar to us. “We are two years into a journey that was similar to the one Chris had with our men’s team. It was great for him to speak to the girls about that. “It was interesting to hear him talk about when the team suffered and what that allowed them to do in terms of ‘Together Stronger’ (the national team’s motto) – the real togetherness of the team and what it takes. “He talked about the criticism that team had, and to me that’s a natural part of when a team is successful. “It was a pleasure to speak to him for me as a coach and also for the players.” Wales remain without a point after four games and are bottom of Nations League Group A3 heading into their final two fixtures. Grainger’s side finish their campaign against two-time World Cup winners Germany in Swansea on Tuesday. So overcoming Iceland, who beat them 1-0 in September, represents Wales’ best chance of securing the third spot they need to avoid dropping into League B and head into the relegation play-offs instead. If Wales win by a one-goal margin, bottom spot could end up being determined by goal difference – and Iceland currently have a superior advantage of four in that department. Grainger said: “We are focused on winning. If we win by one goal then we know what we’ve got to do in the second game. “Two goals would mean that we would likely go through on head-to-head. “It’s an ideal game for us because when we qualify for the Euros we’ll go through stages where one-off games will matter. So it’s a great rehearsal against a top team in Europe.” Wales have lost to Denmark twice and Germany away since losing their opening game in Iceland. But Grainger was encouraged by the narrow 2-1 defeat in Denmark last time out, saying: “We finished that game stronger than they did. We scored in the 72nd minute and we really pushed for the equaliser. “The first game against Iceland was one of our best performances since I’ve been here. “The challenge now is to replicate that because the plan is to stay in League A.” Read More Shameful and not right – Saracens boss condemns Owen Farrell treatment The key talking points ahead of England’s Women’s Nations League double-header Kevin Sinfield vows to keep raising funds to combat MND ahead of new challenge Andre Onana – Do the numbers back up the criticism? On This Day in 2004 – Sir Matthew Pinsent announces retirement from rowing Arsenal through to last 16 as Manchester United squander lead again

Nominess for The Big Lead's 2023 Sports Media Awards