Liverpool are back in the Europa League this season after their fifth-placed finish in 2022/23. It's not exactly where they want to be, of course, but this is a competition that has been very good to the Reds.

The Reds hold a stunning record in Europe over their history, with the Merseyside club having won six Champions League trophies; the most recent coming in 2019 in Madrid after beating Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

In fact, only Sevilla have won more Europa League/UEFA Cup titles than Liverpool. Not only that, but the club has used all of their triumphs as springboards to tremendous success.

And while Jurgen Klopp and his men will have to settle for Europe's second-string competition this season, this is another opportunity to get their hands on a trophy and another potential entry point to next season's Champions League.

Football FanCast has taken a trip down memory lane to show how they fare when going the distance in the competition, with four finals to their name.

1973 – Liverpool 3-2 Borussia Monchengladbach

Bill Shankly delivered Liverpool's first European trophy back in 1973, defeating Borussia Monchengladbach on aggregate. Bizarrely, Gladbach would also be the team they beat to win their first European Cup in 1977.

Proceedings hit the rocks early in this tie, with the first leg being abandoned inside the first half-hour after heavy rain forced the referee to call it a day.

The Reds won 3-0 at Anfield as Kevin Keegan grabbed a first-half brace before Larry Lloyd's goal secured a dominant result.

The German side were handed a lifeline when three goals behind on Merseyside, however, Jupp Heynckes was unable to convert a penalty and Gladbach returned home empty-handed and had it all to do in the second leg.

The win meant that even a 2-0 defeat in Germany wasn't enough to take the trophy away from them. The Reds were certainly given a scare, though.

Inside the first half, the German hosts had clawed back two goals. And it was Heynckes who went from zero to hero following his penalty miss in the first tie as he netted both of the goals in the game. With that, the scene was set for Liverpool to reach new heights.

It can't be stressed enough, in fact. Shankly was, by this point, a legendary manager who had transformed Liverpool from a Second Division side to one of the very best in England.

However, he'd allowed his successful side of the mid-60s to stagnate and age. Begrudgingly, he kicked off the new decade by overhauling his team and introducing a new generation at Anfield.

'73 saw the justification as Liverpool became the first English side to win both the title and a European trophy in the same season. Shankly would step down and retire a year later, with his assistant, Bob Paisley, taking over the reins…

1976 – Liverpool 4-3 Club Brugge

It's a testament to Shankly's squad-building abilities that largely the same side would triumph under Paisley in 1976. In fact, seven of the XI started both home legs in their respective finals.

This time, it was Belgian side Brugge who fell to Liverpool for their second UEFA Cup (and to go one further than the Gladbach coincidence, Brugge would be the team the Reds defeated for their second European Cup in 1978).

Ray Kennedy, Jimmy Case and Kevin Keegan all scored at Anfield in a 3-2 win, before Keegan's goal in the return leg secured a 4-3 aggregate win.

And if '73 was a sign that Liverpool had returned to the top, '76 was a sign that they were about to hit unforeseen levels. This was just Paisley's second season in management, but, as in '73, he delivered the league title along with the UEFA Cup.

The following season would bring another league title and Liverpool's first European Cup. They'd clinch their second the year after, and by the time Paisley retired in 1983, he'd won a third.

The legendary manager's nine-year spell would also bring six league titles and three League Cups on top of the UEFA Cup and a hat-trick of European Cups. It was a spell of dominance never seen before in England – and it hasn't been seen since.

2001 – Liverpool 5-4 Alaves (AET)

Liverpool's success in the 70s and 80s was incredible, but the 90s was far from their decade. The Reds fell quite badly and struggled to compete for trophies.

But in 1998, they brought in French manager Gérard Houllier. Houllier had been involved with France's national team for the previous six years, including managing their U18 and U20 sides – many members of whom would go on to win the World Cup.

At Liverpool, though, he walked into a strange situation. The Reds employed him as joint-manager alongside Roy Evans, but that didn't last long. Evans, feeling disrespected, resigned from his post to leave the Frenchman in full charge.

Houllier would revitalise Liverpool, moving them towards a more professional culture and a solid playing style. 2001 saw the realisation of that and the UEFA Cup was the crowning achievement.

The final was also incredible. Markus Babbel and Steven Gerrard quickly had the Reds 2-0 up, but Alaves pulled one back on 26 minutes. Gary McAllister then made it 3-1 before half-time.

The Spaniards struck twice immediately after the break, however, to level things. Robbie Fowler's 4th was then cancelled out by Jordi Cruyff on 88 minutes.

Into extra-time we went, and the Reds won in what now feels like strange fashion – an own goal that counted as a Golden Goal. The game finished 5-4 and Liverpool had their first European trophy since 1984.

Much like the other UEFA Cup wins, they didn't end the season with just one. Houllier's team added the FA Cup and League Cup, too, in a campaign that signalled their return to the top table.

2016 – Liverpool 1-3 Sevilla

Although the Reds have enjoyed a lot of success in Europe across their history, it has not all come without some heartbreak in finals.

The majority of their final defeats have come in the Champions League, however, they have also tasted defeat in the final of the second-string European competition.

Indeed, back in the 2015/16 campaign, Liverpool made their way to the Europa League final, which took place in Basel.

And they secured their spot in the final having beaten some stern competition along the way. Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund both fell to Liverpool en route.

And the Reds entered the finale with Sevilla standing in their way. Jurgen Klopp's men earned their spot in the final having beaten Spanish outfit Villarreal in the semi-final, but would face stern opposition in Unai Emery's Sevilla.

It was the Merseyside club who made the brighter start to the game, with Daniel Sturridge providing them with the lead going into half-time.

However, the Sevilla players must have received one almighty dressing-down from Emery at half-time, as they provided an instant reply after the break through Kevin Gameiro in the 46th minute.

And it did not take the Spaniards much longer to turn around the tie completely, as Coke netted a brace by the 70th minute to provide them with a two-goal margin over the Reds.

Liverpool will be looking to go one better this time in the Europa League, however, they will face some tough opponents in doing so, with strong representation from across Europe.

Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham United will also feature in the tournament, alongside the likes of Sporting CP, Roma and Bayer Leverkusen.

How many Europa League games have Liverpool won?

The large majority of Liverpool's European games have come in the Champions League – but the Reds do have a deep history in its sister tournament.

Liverpool have played 124 games in the Europa League – as we know it today – and have tasted victory 66 times. The Merseyside club, therefore, boast an impressive 53% win record in the Europa League.

Perhaps just as impressive, Liverpool have recorded 34 draws in the remaining 58 games with just 24 defeats to their name.

How many goals have Liverpool scored in the Europa League?

Having won an impressive 66 games in the competition, Liverpool have naturally scored a whopping 186 goals across their games.

Given their dominance in the competition, Liverpool have conceded fewer than one goal per game, with just 94 goals going against the Reds across their 124 appearances in the tournament over the years.

When and where is the 2024 Europa League final?

This season's Europa League final will take place on Wednesday 22nd May 2024.

This means the Reds could find themselves playing just a matter of days following the conclusion of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign, with their final game of the season coming against Wolves on Sunday 19th May 2024.

The 2024 Europa League final will, however, offer Liverpool with a short trip to the stadium if they are to make the final.

Indeed, the Reds would face a short flight across the Irish Sea to Dublin, with the Aviva Stadium hosting the final. The stadium has a capacity of 51,700, which will provide Liverpool fans with a mouthwatering prospect of seeing their side lift yet another European trophy.