UEFA Champions League - 2019/20 SeasonMatch press kits

Liverpool will be looking to end a run of away defeats in the UEFA Champions League group stage as they travel to a Genk side who earned their first point of the 2019/20 competition with a creditable home performance last time out.

• The holders bounced back from an opening loss at Napoli with a dramatic home victory against Salzburg on Matchday 2, and sit level on points with Salzburg and one behind section leaders Napoli. Genk bounced back from a heavy opening loss with a draw at home to Napoli on Matchday 2.

• This is the first fixture between the sides, and only Genk's third game against an English club – while Liverpool have not faced Belgian opposition in more than 11 years.

Form guide
Genk
• Genk opened with a 6-2 defeat at Salzburg, their heaviest loss in continental competition since a 7-0 defeat at Valencia in the UEFA Champions League group stage in November 2011 – their biggest European defeat. The Belgian side held Napoli 0-0 last time out, but have still conceded ten goals in their last three European fixtures, scoring three.

• Belgian champions for the fourth time in 2018/19, Genk have qualified automatically for the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time, their previous appearances, in 2002/03 and 2011/12, having both involved at least one qualifying tie.

• The Belgian club are still awaiting their first victory in the UEFA Champions League proper. In 2002/03 they drew four of their six matches but still finished bottom of a section involving Real Madrid, Roma and AEK Athens; eight years later, they drew all three home games but lost all their away matches in a section also including Chelsea, Bayer Leverkusen and Valencia.

• Genk have played more UEFA Champions League matches without a win (14) than any other participating team.

• Genk have lost only two of their 12 home UEFA Champions League matches (W4 D6), qualifying included, and are unbeaten in the last six (W2 D4), since a 2-1 loss against Sarajevo in the 2007/08 second qualifying round.

• In 2018/19 Genk won all six qualifying matches to reach the UEFA Europa League group stage – scoring 22 goals in the process – where they finished ahead of Malmö, Beşiktaş and Sarpsborg. Slavia Praha proved too strong in the round of 32, however, the Czech club winning 4-1 at the KRC Genk Arena after a goalless draw in Prague.

• Genk have scored at least once in 30 of their last 32 European matches, the exceptions the first leg against Slavia last season and against Napoli on Matchday 2.

• Last season's defeat by Slavia is Genk's only defeat in their last 17 home European matches (W12 D4).

• This is only Genk's third match against Premier League opponents; they held eventual winners Chelsea 1-1 at home in the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League group stage, having gone down 5-0 away.

Liverpool
• The holders picked up their first points of the campaign by edging out Salzburg in a seven-goal thriller last time out, eventually prevailing 4-3 in a game in which they had led 3-0.

• The defeat at Napoli on Matchday 1 made it four successive away group stage defeats for Liverpool, whose last away win at this stage of the UEFA Champions League came via a 7-0 success at Maribor on Matchday 3 of the 2017/18 edition. That is their sole win away from Anfield in their last ten group matches (D3 L6).

• Jürgen Klopp's team lost all three away games in last season's group stage, but were rescued by three wins at Anfield as they edged out Napoli on goal difference. They then beat Bayern München 3-1 away in the second leg of their round of 16 tie, going through by the same aggregate score, before ousting Porto 6-1 over two legs in the quarter-finals (2-0 h, 4-1 a). The journey looked to be over when the Reds went down 3-0 at Barcelona in the semi-final first leg, but two goals apiece from Georginio Wijnaldum and Divock Origi sealed a rousing second-leg turnaround, before Mohamed Salah and Origi secured the club's sixth European Cup with a 2-0 final defeat of Tottenham in Madrid.

• Liverpool's record in last season's UEFA Champions League was W8 D1 L4 F24 A12. They have won six of their last nine European fixtures (D1 L1) but have lost seven of their last 11 UEFA competition matches outside England.

• This is Liverpool's first trip to Belgium since a goalless draw at Standard Liège in the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round first leg, a tie they eventually won 1-0 thanks to Dirk Kuyt's 118th-minute winner at Anfield. That made it four victories in their last five matches against Belgian opponents (D1), since a 3-1 loss at Anderlecht in the 1978 UEFA Super Cup first leg, a tie Liverpool lost 4-3 on aggregate. That is Liverpool's sole defeat in a match with a Belgian club; their record otherwise is W10 D2.

• Liverpool's second European Cup was secured with a 1-0 win against Club Brugge at Wembley in May 1978; they had beaten the same opponents over two legs of the UEFA Cup final two years earlier (3-2 h, 1-1 a).

• Premier League runners-up in 2018/19, finishing a single point behind Manchester City, Liverpool are in the UEFA Champions League group stage for the 12th time; they have only failed to progress to the last 16 or further three times.

• Liverpool have already claimed European silverware this term, beating Chelsea 5-4 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in the UEFA Super Cup in Istanbul.

Links and trivia
• Liverpool striker Divock Origi spent nine years in Genk's youth system before signing for LOSC Lille in May 2010. He has won 27 caps for Belgium, scoring three goals, but has never played professionally for a club in his homeland.

• Ianis Hagi scored Romania's second goal in a 4-2 win against England at this summer's UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Latest news

Genk
• Genk kicked off the new season with a 3-0 win against Mechelen in the Belgian Super Cup on 20 July. It was the second time they had claimed the trophy, and the first since 2011, in their eighth appearance.

• Genk were four matches unbeaten (W3 D1), since losing at Salzburg on Matchday 1, before Saturday's 1-0 loss at Standard Liège.

• Genk's league game at Sint-Truiden on 28 September was abandoned after 88 minutes with the score at 3-3.

• Genk were 3-0 winners at Ronse in the Belgian Cup last 32 on 24 September; they will visit Antwerp in the next stage in early December.

• Including the Belgian Super Cup, the 2-0 loss to Zulte Waregem on 10 August is Genk's only home reverse in their last 14 home matches in all competitions (W10 D3).

• Genk lost two of their first three league games this season, having been unbeaten for their first 15 matches in 2018/19 and not suffered a second defeat until the 23rd round of fixtures They have now lost three league matches in 2019/20, the same as after 26 matches last season.

• They have 17 points after 11 matches – 12 less than at the same stage of 2018/19.

• Ally Mbwana Samatta has five goals in eight league matches this season, but has not scored in the competition since 23 August although he did find the net against Salzburg.

• Summer signing Paul Onuachu has four goals in his first five league matches for Genk.

• First-choice goalkeeper Danny Vukovic has not played since 26 July due to a ruptured Achilles tendon and has not been included in the UEFA Champions League squad.

Liverpool
• Liverpool's winning run in this season's Premier League season was ended by a 1-1 draw at Manchester United on Sunday, Adam Lallana salvaging a late point with his first goal since May 2017. They are now six points clear of second-placed Manchester City.

• The Merseyside club had won 17 successive Premier League matches, and remain unbeaten in 26 league fixtures (W21 D5), since a 2-1 loss at City on 3 January.

• Jürgen Klopp was named Premier League manager of the month for September, having also won the award in August. He is the first manager to win the award in the first two months of the season since Newcastle's Kevin Keegan in 1995/96.

• Liverpool are the seventh side to win their first eight league games of an English top-flight season, and the first to do it twice having also achieved the feat in 1990/91. They are only the second team to do so in the Premier League after Chelsea's nine-match winning streak at the start of 2005/06.

• Liverpool are also the first team in the history of the English top flight to win their first six matches in successive seasons.

• Summer signing Harvey Elliott made his Liverpool debut in a 2-0 victory at MK Dons in the English League Cup third round on 25 September; aged 16 years 174 days, he was the youngest player to start a game for Liverpool.

• The Reds kicked off the season by losing 5-4 on penalties to English champions Manchester City after a 1-1 draw in the FA Community Shield at Wembley on 4 August.

• Liverpool did come out on top on spot kicks against Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup on 14 August, prevailing 5-4 after a 2-2 draw in Istanbul.

• Georginio Wijnaldum scored both goals in the Netherlands' 2-1 UEFA EURO 2020 qualifying win in Belarus on 13 October, making it four in his team's four qualifiers this season.

• Roberto Firmino was on target in Brazil's 1-1 friendly draw against Senegal on 10 October; Sadio Mané won the penalty that led to Senegal's equaliser.

• Mohamed Salah limped off late on in Liverpool's 2-1 win against Leicester on 5 October and missed Sunday's draw at Manchester United.

• Joël Matip played 90 minutes on Sunday having been out since 28 September due to a knock.

• Alisson Becker made his return at the weekend; he had been out since suffering a calf injury in Liverpool's 4-1 home win against Norwich on the first day of the Premier League season on 9 August.

• Xherdan Shaqiri has not played since Matchday 1 due to a calf complaint.

• On 18 October Liverpool announced Matip had signed a "new long-term contract."

• Virgil van Dijk was named UEFA Men's Player of the Year for 2018/19 in Monaco on 29 August; the Dutchman also collected the Defender of the Season award, with Alisson taking the Goalkeeper's prize.

FootballPeople weeks
The FootballPeople weeks take place from 10 to 24 October 2019 and are organised by UEFA's social responsibility partner Fare. The weeks are a global campaign aimed at tackling discrimination and celebrating diversity in football. The UEFA Champions League is offering its full support to the FootballPeople weeks; teams will line up for a mixed photo with the referees, while an #EqualGame hashtag will also be on display. Videos will be played on giant screens at stadiums across Europe, and child mascots will be wearing #FootballPeople t-shirts. UEFA's collaboration with the Fare network's FootballPeople weeks has been running since 2001. The aim of this initiative fits in perfectly with the goals of #EqualGame, which is looking to promote inclusion, diversity and accessibility.

Date of birth: 12 March 1966
Nationality: Belgian
Playing career: Charleroi
Coaching career: RSC Nivelles (youth), Marchienne-au-Pont, CS Brainois, Royal Léopold, Tubize, RWS Bruxelles, Charleroi, Genk

• The son of Italian immigrants, Mazzù came through the ranks at Charleroi without making a first-team appearance and spent the rest of his playing days in Belgium's lower leagues, working as a PE teacher after hanging up his boots.

• His coaching career started in 1990 in the youth ranks at RSC Nivelles before spells at Marchienne-au-Pont, CS Brainois and Royal Léopold brought him to the attention of Tubize, where he took charge in 2009 having worked as assistant the previous season.

• Lasted only a year before taking over at RWS Bruxelles, whom he led to the third division title in 2011, leaving the club two years later amid financial problems.

• Returned to Charleroi as head coach in 2013, and in 2014/15 oversaw a sixth-placed finish and ensuing success in Belgium's play-offs as the club earned a first European campaign in 21 years. The following season's UEFA Europa League foray proved brief, Charleroi falling in the third qualifying round, but Mazzù continued to impress and was elected Belgium's coach of the year in 2017.

• He left Charleroi, after six seasons and 259 matches in charge, to join Belgian champions Genk on 3 June 2019 following the departure of Philippe Clement, kicking off his reign with victory against Mechelen in the Super Cup the following month.

Date of birth: 16 June 1967
Nationality: German
Playing career: Glatten, Ergenzingen, Pforzheim, Eintracht Frankfurt, Viktoria Sindlingen, Rot-Weiss Frankfurt, Mainz
Coaching career: Mainz, Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool

• Having spent his early career in the lower leagues and failed to break into Eintracht's first team, Klopp turned professional with Mainz, starting off as a striker before becoming a no-nonsense defender. Never played in the top flight but made 325 second-division appearances from 1990 to 2001, setting a club record by scoring 52 goals.

• 'Kloppo' was appointed Mainz's caretaker coach on 28 February 2001, helping the club avoid relegation to the third tier. Duly won a permanent contract and built Mainz into one of the strongest clubs in the 2. Bundesliga; narrowly missed out on promotion in 2002 and 2003 before taking Mainz into the top flight for the first time in 2004 and kept them there until 2007, taking them into the 2005/06 UEFA Cup via the UEFA Fair Play ranking.

• After another promotion near-miss in 2007/08 Klopp left for Dortmund. Took them to sixth in his first season, led them into the UEFA Europa League the next year and then, with a squad full of exciting young talent, oversaw league title wins in 2010/11 and 2011/12, adding the German Cup in the latter campaign with a 5-2 final victory against Bayern München.

• Earned even greater admiration in 2012/13 as he steered Dortmund all the way to the UEFA Champions League final at Wembley, where they lost to Bayern. Dortmund reached more domestic cup finals in 2014 and 2015, losing to Bayern and Wolfsburg respectively, Klopp departing after the latter defeat.

• Succeeded Brendan Rodgers as Liverpool manager in October 2015 and reached the finals of the English League Cup and UEFA Europa League – helped by a quarter-final defeat of Dortmund – in his first season. Lost both, and there was more final disappointment in 2017/18, which ended in UEFA Champions League defeat by Real Madrid in Kyiv. Although Liverpool lost out to Manchester City in the 2018/19 Premier League, finishing second despite collecting 97 points and losing only once, solace came with victory against Tottenham in the UEFA Champions League final in Madrid. The Reds kicked off the following season by claiming the UEFA Super Cup on penalties at Chelsea's expense.

KRC Genk
Formed: 1988
Nickname: Genkies

UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets)
• None

Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets)
League title: 4 (2019)
Belgian Cup: 4 (2013)

Ten-year record (UEFA Champions League unless indicated otherwise)
2018/19: UEFA Europa League round of 32
2017/18: did not take part in UEFA competition
2016/17: UEFA Europa League quarter-finals
2015/16: did not take part in UEFA competition
2014/15: did not take part in UEFA competition
2013/14: UEFA Europa League round of 32
2012/13: UEFA Europa League round of 32
2011/12: group stage
2010/11: UEFA Europa League play-offs
2009/10: UEFA Europa League play-offs

Records
UEFA club competition
• Biggest home win
5-0 twice, most recently v Fola Esch
26/07/18, UEFA Europa League second qualifying round first leg

• Biggest away win
0-5: B36 Tórshavn v Genk
21/06/97, UEFA Intertoto Cup group stage

• Heaviest home defeat
2-5: Genk v Werder Bremen
09/11/00, UEFA Cup second round second leg
1-4: Genk v Slavia Praha
21/02/19, UEFA Europa League round of 32 second leg
0-3: Genk v Porto
19/08/10, UEFA Europa League play-offs first leg

• Heaviest away defeat
7-0: Valencia v Genk
23/11/11, UEFA Champions League group stage

UEFA Champions League (group stage to final)
• Biggest home win
N/A

• Biggest away win
N/A

• Heaviest home defeat
0-1: Genk v Roma
02/10/02, first group stage

• Heaviest away defeat
7-0: Valencia v Genk (see above)

Liverpool FC
Formed: 1892
Nickname: The Reds

UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets)
• European Champion Clubs' Cup (6): 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, (1985), 2005, (2007), (2018), 2019
• UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League (3): 1973, 1976, 2001, (2016)
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: (1966)
• UEFA Super Cup (4): 1977, (1978), (1984), 2001, 2005, 2019
• European/South American Cup: (1981), (1984)

Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets)
League title: 18 (1990)
FA Cup: 7 (2006)
League Cup: 8 (2012)

Ten-year European record (UEFA Champions League unless indicated otherwise)
2018/19: winners
2017/18: runners-up
2016/17: did not take part in UEFA competition
2015/16: UEFA Europa League runners-up
2014/15: UEFA Europa League round of 32 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage)
2013/14: did not take part in UEFA competition
2012/13: UEFA Europa League round of 32
2011/12: did not take part in UEFA competition
2010/11: UEFA Europa League round of 16
2009/10: UEFA Europa League semi-finals (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage)

Records
UEFA club competition
• Biggest home win
11-0: Liverpool v Strømgodset
17/09/74, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup first round first leg

• Biggest away win
0-7: Maribor v Liverpool
17/10/17, UEFA Champions League group stage

• Heaviest home defeat
0-3: Liverpool v Real Madrid
22/10/14, UEFA Champions League group stage

• Heaviest away defeat
5-1: Ajax v Liverpool
07/12/66, European Champion Clubs' Cup second round first leg

UEFA Champions League (group stage to final only)
• Biggest home win
8-0: Liverpool v Beşiktaş
06/11/07, group stage

• Biggest away win
0-7: Maribor v Liverpool (see above)

• Heaviest home defeat
0-3: Liverpool v Real Madrid (see above)

• Heaviest away defeat
3-0: Barcelona v Liverpool
01/05/19, semi-final first leg