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Liverpool take on German side Augsburg in the Europa League round of 32 stage on Thursday night - but what challenge will they face in the first-leg encounter? We spoke to Torben Hoffmann, a former defender for Bayer Leverkusen and 1860 Munich and now a reporter for Sky in Germany, about Augsburgs strengths, weaknesses and style - and whether Liverpool stand a good chance of progressing past them.Read on to find out more about Liverpools opponents - and remember you can follow the game across the Sky Sports platforms with our live blog… Lallana out Liverpools Adam Lallana will not play in Germany How are Augsburg doing this season?The last season was a perfect season for Augsburg, they played well all season and finished fifth, qualifying for the Europa League. But this season theyve got some problems.They are 14th in the Bundesliga and have not so much self-confidence because theyve lost a lot of games - including last weekend against Bayern Munich, their 10th league defeat of the season. Scouse phrasebook FC Augsburg have given Liverpool fans some handy German phrases One problem for them is they play in the Bundesliga, the German Cup and the Europa League. They have a lot of games and not a lot of good players to rotate. So some players have been tired or injured and that has then been a big problem for Augsburg.Last season Augsburg played on a high level for the whole season and Borussia Dortmund, who are a team normally in front of Augsburg in the table, had some problems. Augsburg are not in the top five or six teams in the Bundesliga, they are in the middle.Who are Augsburgs key players? Daniel Baier, one of Augsburgs key men, is out injured Augsburg have a big problem going into this game against Liverpool - midfielder Daniel Baier is injured. Hes one of their key players and makes the rhythm in the game, playing very good passes.They also have a target player up front, Raul Bobadilla, who is their second key player. He scored six times in the Europa League group stage and is very strong and fast and can hold the ball up. Hell be important for them on Thursday.Whats their style? Torben Hoffmann says Markus Weinzierl has a similar philosophy to Jurgen Klopp Augsburgs manager, Markus Weinzierl is only 41 but hes a little bit like Jurgen Klopp, in terms of the way he likes his team to play. They like to create counter-attack opportunities, play aggressively and stay close together as a whole team on the field, holding the perfect distance between defence, midfield and offence. Both managers like the same tactics.Augsburg are also very disciplined but they have no top star in the team. Baier and Bobadilla are the only two players who will be a little bit famous. But they are a perfect group.What difficulties will Liverpool face? There will be a fantastic atmosphere at Augsburgs stadium, says Hoffmann In Augsburg there will be a fantastic atmosphere on Thursday. The stadium isnt as big as Anfield but, on a smaller scale, its a similar atmosphere in the ground to Anfield.The home support could be a little problem for Liverpool but more importantly, the Liverpool players dont know the Augsburg players and they dont know Augsburg. Its important they arrive with the right attitude.Liverpool or Augsburg - who should come out on top? The likes of Daniel Sturridge should be too much for Augsburg, says Hoffmann Liverpool will be the favourites in these two games. Their key players - Daniel Sturridge, Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho - have a lot of quality in the offence. The defence from Augsburg isnt very bad but also its not so good.The quality in the team from Liverpool will be better than Augsburg, thats clear. And with Sturridge, Firmino and Coutinho, there are a lot of players who will make problems.Will Liverpool win in Augsburg? Let us know using the message boards or by tweeting @SkyFootball and then follow our live blog to find out Also See: Augsburgs scouse phrasebook No Lallana for Liverpool Fjallraven Kanken Classic Backpack Frost Green .C. United of Major League Soccer. United chose the defender in the second round of the 2013 MLS re-entry draft. Fjallraven Kanken Classic Ox Red Backpack . The Americans, skipped by John Shuster, seized the advantage in the eighth end by scoring five points for a 7-3 lead. The Czechs pulled two back in the ninth, but Shusters team of third Jeff Isaacson, second Jared Zezel and lead John Landsteiner ended with another point to secure the last Olympic berth on offer. http://www.cheapkankenbackpack.com/cheap-kanken-mini-backpack/kanken-mini-pink.html . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. Fjallraven Kanken Big Backpack Ochre . The Dane followed up his first European Tour title last weekend with eight birdies and just a single dropped shot on Thursday for a one-stroke advantage over South Africas Allan Versfeld and Portugals Ricardo Santos. Fjallraven Kanken No.2 Backpack Black . Thousands of Southern California fans enveloped the Trojans to celebrate an improbable win secured by an interim coach, an inconsistent kicker and a thin defence that wouldnt break. MADISON, Wis. -- The weakness in Ethan Happs otherwise solid offensive game is so obvious that the Wisconsin big man knows how defenders are going to play him.Just check out the sophomores stats from his Big Ten Freshman of the Year campaign: 12.9 points per game, 7.9 rebounds -- and no 3-pointers. Not even an attempt from behind the arc.That should change this season.If the 6-foot-10 Happ can add a solid jumper to his offensive arsenal , a deep Badgers team led by seniors Nigel Hayes and Bronson Koenig will be even tougher to stop. Wisconsin is already the preseason favorite in the Big Ten.I wouldnt say hes a prolific 3-point shooter but the confidence to be able to play on the perimeter is much higher than it was a year ago, coach Greg Gard said. In all, a very good step in the right direction.Hayes (15.7 points) and Koenig (13.1 points) are known commodities . They were key players on two Final Four teams. They took over as team leaders last year as juniors.Happ emerged in 2015-16 to give the Badgers their own version of a Big Three.Happ can run the floor. He can pass out of a double team. He can get excellent position in the post and spin away from defenders.But he never showed last year that he could hit a jumper.Asked if defenses would challenge him to shoot from the outside, Happ said If the roles were reversed, and there was a player who didnt shoot a 3 last year, I would do the same thing.In the offseason, Happ focused on shooting six days a week. He would shoot jumpers until he made at least 500 from the outside. On the seventh day, he used that time to focus on another workout or conditioning.My shot was kind of out here, Happ said, holding his hands slightly above and to the right of his head, as if about to shoot a free throw. Now Im kind of bringing it more to the center of my body.Other notes and story lines this season for Wisconsin:TAKING STANDSHayes and Koenig drew attention in the offseason for their high-profile stands on off-court issues. Koenig,, a Ho-Chunk Nation member, drove 11 hours to North Dakota last month to take part in a protest over the construction of an oil pipeline on the Standing Rock Indiana Reservation.dddddddddddd Hayes has been vocal about social justice issues. He also recently took a stand to publicize the issue of pay for college athletes.To hear them talk about it ... Im just proud how theyve been able to take their college experiences and to develop it into something way more than basketball, Gard said.Hayes declined to take questions at Wisconsin media day at the Kohl Center on Oct. 17, electing only to make a statement running down the strengths of the team before he had to leave to take a test.EXPERIENCEFew teams in the country are as seasoned as Wisconsin. Guard Zak Showalter (7.5 points) and forward Vitto Brown (9.7 points) join Hayes and Koenig to give the Badgers four seniors in the starting lineup with NCAA tourney experience. The Badgers return their top nine scorers.DEEP BENCHThe roster is getting deeper. Redshirt freshman Brevin Pritzl, thought to be the teams best outside shooter, is healthy again after missing his first year at Wisconsin with a foot injury. Andy Van Vliet, a 7-footer, adds needed size behind Happ. The Belgian missed last year after the NCAA ruled him ineligible for not enrolling in college within a year of high school graduation.ON GARDThe meticulous Gard enters his first full season as head coach after taking over in December following Bo Ryans surprise retirement. He has provided a steadying influence. Wisconsin had an 11-2 run to finish the regular season.STAT LINEThe Badgers have been to 18 straight NCAA tournaments. Theyre the only team to reach the regional semifinals in five of the last six years.---Online:AP College Basketball site: http://collegebasketball.ap.org/---Follow Genaro Armas at: https://twitter.com/GArmasAP ' ' '