Following their most recent Ligue 1 match on Sunday, Toulouse can now focus on the “sacred experience” of visiting Anfield.
On Thursday night at Anfield, the Reds will play the third of their six Europa League Group E games against the French team, who will be making their first visit since 2007.
Toulouse placed 13th in Ligue 1 previous year, but their triumph in the Coupe de France allowed them to earn a spot in the European playoffs.
With two wins, two losses, and five draws in their first nine league games of the 2023–24 season, manager Carles Martinez Novell’s team is now tenth in the standings.
Since the team hasn’t competed in European competition since 2009, the trip to Anfield is a huge event for the organisation. However, Novell insisted that his players focus on domestic matters first before turning their attention to Liverpool.
The Toulouse manager stated in his press conference, as quoted by Les Violets, that he “didn’t talk about Liverpool to the group at all” because attention has been focused on Ligue 1 issues, before to his team’s 1-1 draw with Reims.
The forthcoming game will be a “holy experience” for Novell’s team, but he also said: “I am sure that this Sunday, our supporters will drive us to beat Reims. Another obstacle will be Liverpool.”
In that specific match, his team earned a draw against Reims at home after Amir Richardson gave the visitors the lead shortly after halftime and Thijs Dallinga of Toulouse tied the score three minutes later.
It’s possible that Novell had more of an eye on Liverpool than he was ready to confess because he made six changes to the team that lost to Brest in stoppage time before the international break.
Frank Magri, who is presently leading his team in scoring this season with three goals through nine games, was replaced at the top of the field by goal scorer Dallinga.
Les TFC have now won just one of their previous six league games after beginning the season with a victory away at Nantes, placing them squarely in the centre of the Ligue 1 table.
Toulouse is presently second in Group E of the Europa League after defeating LASK at home and drawing away at Union SG, but they have two difficult games against Liverpool coming up.