LOSC's Liverpool-bound Origi meets Everton

LOSC Lille's Divock Origi will get a glimpse of what lies ahead of him next season when his club host Everton FC in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.

Origi was signed from LOSC by Liverpool FC this summer before he was immediately loaned back to the Ligue 1 side for a season. Since then, the 19-year-old has grabbed three league goals and one in Europe, and he is now gearing up for the Group H double-header with Liverpool's neighbours.

LOSC will go into the first encounter having drawn 1-1 with both FC Kuban Krasnodar and VfL Wolfsburg, leaving them two points behind Everton in third. They are therefore eager to prevail and boost their quest for a last-32 spot – and it is very much the current campaign that is dominating Origi's thoughts.

"For the moment, I am thinking about Lille, not Liverpool," said Origi, who shone for Belgium at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. "Our Europa League section could be a Champions League one given the high-level teams. We know it'll be the small details that make a difference."

Thursday's game will also provide something of a Belgian reunion, with Romelu Lukaku and former LOSC player Kevin Mirallas now plying their trade at Goodison Park. Though Mirallas has been out with a hamstring injury since the end of last month, Origi is looking forward to coming up against his compatriots' club side.

"We gently wound each other up [after the draw]," Origi said of Mirallas. "He told me they would come here and win. I replied that we won't let that happen. Kevin is a great guy who gave me his advice on English football."

Lukaku, meanwhile, is a direct rival of Origi's for a place in the Red Devils' attack. Nevertheless, the younger player feels he can draw inspiration from the former Chelsea FC striker. "I admit I look up at him," Origi said. "I admire what he has done in English football so far."