The Europa League continues with the third game of the group stage, which sees Liverpool welcoming Rubin Kazan to Anfield. This game is also the much-anticipated first home game of new Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp, and the team will be desperate for a win to ignite the Anfield faithful. The Reds are lucky to be in second place in Group B after only managing to draw 1-1 in their first two games against Bordeaux and FC Sion. Rubin Kazan are bottom of the group after a loss and a draw in their first two.
The Russian side are struggling at the moment and currently sit 12th domestically. Liverpool should feel confident going into this match, but they've been less than impressive in Europe for the last several seasons and no game is a given. On the other hand, Klopp has now had a full week to evaluate his players and create a solid game plan. Regardless of his approach and formation, though, the manager will still have a limited squad to work with thanks to injuries to several key players.
On the weekend, fullback Oleg Kuzmin scored twice and midfielder Sergei Kislyak scored once for Kazan in a 3-1 victory over FC Ufa, and both are likely to feature in Thursday's match. Since the visitors only managed to score one goal in their previous two Europa League games -- which is one less than Liverpool -- they'll be hoping to continue to hit the back of the net in this game.
For Liverpool:
Mignolet
Clyne/ Škrtel/ Sakho/ Moreno
Milner/ Lucas/ Can
Ibe/ Coutinho
Origi
The back line picks itself, with Joe Gomez and Jon Flanagan still out injured, doubts over Dejan Lovren, and Jose Enrique ineligible to play in the Europa League. Allen, who came on as a sub against Tottenham, could get a start in the name of rotation in place of either Lucas Leiva or Emre Can, but it seems equally likely Klopp sticks with his Tottenham pairing. He also more options up front, and could potentially play any of Ibe, Lallana, Coutinho, Milner, or the returning Roberto Firmino. There's also a possibility that Daniel Sturridge and Christian Benteke may be in the running at striker, but even if they are fit, they will most likely start on the bench. Adam Lallana has scored both of Liverpool's goals in their previous two Europa fixtures, but after putting in a hard shift against Tottenham could be saved for an impact role off the bench.
Danny Ings remains out for the season, while Roberto Firmino, Jordan Rossiter, and Jordan Henderson are not yet fit to return. That is an alarming lack of Jorda(o)ns to choose from, which is sure to upset Klopp as well as any right-thinking Liverpool fan.
Kickoff is set for 8:05PM BST/3:05PM EST Thursday, with coverage from LFCTV GO online for subscribers across the globe, BT Sport Europe in the UK and Fox Sports 1 in the US. We'll be keeping you updated with all the buildup to the game, including team news as it's released, our live matchday thread and post-match recaps from The Liverpool Offside staff. If you want to join the discussion, sign up for an SB Nation account to have your say on all the action as it happens.