LASK explained: the 125-year-old Austrian club standing between Liverpool and a perfect Champions League start

Liverpool face LASK at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz, Austria, on Wednesday in Matchday 2 of the Champions League league phase, and the Austrian side’s unusual name has prompted plenty of questions from supporters unfamiliar with the club.

What does LASK stand for?

LASK is an acronym for Linzer Athletik-Sport-Klub, which translates from German as the Linz Athletic Sports Club. Despite the football association the name now carries, the organisation did not begin as a football club. Albert Siems founded it on 7 August 1899 under the full title Linzer-Athletik-Sportklub “Siegfried” as a heavy athletics and fitness society, with gymnastics, weightlifting and ring training at its core.

Football only entered the picture on 25 July 1908, when a dedicated football branch was established under the name Linzer Sport-Klub (LSK). By 1919, the athletic society and the football club had merged under the unified title Linzer Athletik-Sport-Klub, cementing the acronym LASK that the club carries to this day.

Where are LASK from and where do they play?

LASK are based in Linz, the capital of Upper Austria, situated along the Danube River. They play their home matches at the modern Raiffeisen Arena — referred to as the Oberösterreich Arena for UEFA fixtures — which was rebuilt on the site of the old Linzer Stadion and opened in February 2023. The ground holds 19,080 for domestic fixtures and 17,117 for international matches.

LASK’s place in Austrian football history

The club’s most celebrated moment came in the 1964–65 season, when they became the first club outside Vienna to win the Austrian Bundesliga championship, completing a domestic double in the process. That achievement remains a landmark in Austrian football, breaking the capital’s long stranglehold on the country’s top honours.

In the current Champions League campaign, LASK began with a narrow 1–0 defeat away to Greek side AEK Athens in the opening matchday of the league phase.

Liverpool’s form heading into the tie

Liverpool arrive in Linz with early momentum after a 2–1 comeback victory over Atlético Madrid in their Champions League opener. Dominik Szoboszlai pulled the Reds level before Alexis Mac Allister struck the decisive goal to secure all three points and send Arne Slot’s side into Wednesday’s fixture in confident mood.