Atalanta are at home to Liverpool for the second leg of their UEFA Europa League Quarterfinal tie which promises to be an attacking spectacle.
Liverpool continue their march for a treble when they travel to Northern Italy to complete their Europa League last-eight encounter with Atalanta. The Reds are expected to bring a first-leg advantage into this game so they can advance to the semifinal against Benfica or Marseille.
Their only previous matchup in European competitions was during the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League group stage when Liverpool won 5-0 in Bergamo but were dealt a 2-0 loss at Anfield.
Atalanta has very little European pedigree but Gian Piero Gasperini’s side will be full of belief as they have nothing to lose from this tie. La Dea are unbeaten in all of their home games in this season’s Europa League so there is something to build on.
Things didn’t get off to the best of starts in the Serie A this season with two wins and as many defeats from the first four matches. But Atalanta grabbed two wins and a draw from the opening three Europa League matches.
Results became up-and-down in the league but they completed the first round top of Group D with four wins and two draws to set them up for a knockout tie against Sporting Lisbon. They lost only once over the next 10 Serie A games.
The buildup to the resumption of the Europa League was not ideal with consecutive league defeats to Inter Milan and Bologna, but the first leg of their Round of 16 encounter ended 1-1 in Portugal. Gasperini’s charges then completed a sensational comeback to win 2-1 in front of their fans.
Domestically, Atalanta are four points behind fifth-placed Roma with a game in hand and their European adventures could spur a fantastic end to the season. Liverpool are expected to advance but the Black and Blues will not be making it any less intriguing from start to finish.
The Bergamo side have it all to do in a hostile away trip to Anfield and they would hope to still hold a chance to progress when the home leg kicks off. Atalanta are well aware that Klopp’s men don’t lose too many games so they must be at their imperious best to stand a chance at an unlikely giant-killing.
On the other hand, the Reds are favorites to win the Europa League as Jurgen Klopp’s side is still in the running for three trophies in his final season.
Their league campaign began with a 1-all draw at Chelsea but Liverpool won all of their next five league games, the eventual defeat to Tottenham Hotspur was a vindication of their resilience as poor officiating cost them points despite having two players sent off.
While they beat Everton, Nottingham Forest, and Brentford, draws against Brighton, Luton Town, and Manchester City highlighted the teething issues they have defensively. December, nevertheless, started with consecutive wins against Fulham, Sheffield United, and Crystal Palace but they drew key head-to-head clashes against Manchester United and Arsenal.
Liverpool then beat Burnley 2-0 on Boxing Day before getting the better of Newcastle in a New Year’s Day epic. While they booked their place in the Carabao Cup final, the Merseysiders suffered just their second league defeat to Arsenal.
They bounced back with big wins over Burnley, Brentford, and Luton as well as finding a late winner to claim the League Cup in extra-time. Liverpool then thumped Sparta Prague 11-2 on aggregate in the Europa League Round of 16 as they drew the title clash with Manchester City and lost to Man United in the FA Cup quarterfinal.
The continental title is perhaps their best chance at another trophy this term as they fight a three-way battle for the Premier League. Hence, there will be no slipups within the Liverpool ranks.
Match tickets
This UEFA Europa League Quarter-final takes place on Thursday, 18 April 2024 with kick-off scheduled for 8 PM UK time. Match tickets are available for sale on the website of both clubs with allocation guaranteed for only season ticket holders and registered, eligible members.
It is not every season that the Gewiss Stadium hosts a European quarterfinal so it should be packed to the rafters for this big occasion. Match tickets are sure to be sold out as there are ‘only’ around 21,000 seats to be had.
Supporters who are yet to pay for a ticket may be lucky enough to find Atalanta vs Liverpool tickets on a ticket resale site.
Team news
Luckily for Atalanta, they do not have any injury issues to worry about at the time of writing and the Italians would hope it stays the same.
Darwin Nunez suffered a potential hamstring injury against Manchester United to rejoin an ever-growing Liverpool injury list that includes Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones, Ibrahim Konate, Thiago Alcantara, Stefano Bajcetic, Joel Matip and Ben Doak.
Line-ups
Atalanta must go with their tried and trusted, tactically sound back-three system that is brimming with attacking threats. The likes of Ademola Lookman and Gianluca Scamacca would pose Liverpool problems on the night.
The visitors must be disciplined and mentally locked in to withstand the barrage of pressure from the Liverpool players on and off the ball.
Atalanta: Musso; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Holm, Ederson, de Roon, Bakker; Miranchuk, Lookman, Scamacca
Mohamed Salah’s fitness is of utmost importance to Liverpool as they enter the business end of the campaign because their marksman’s skillset is fundamental to how they play.
The Reds must be alert to their opponents’ well-organized attacks as they could be fired up to overturn a scoreline deficit in front of their fans.
Liverpool: Alisson; Gomez, Quansah, Van Dijk, Robertson; Endo, Szoboszlai, McAllister; Salah, Nunez, Diaz
Prediction
Liverpool are tipped to reach a dream final with Bayer Leverkusen but they must first overcome a tricky tie against Atalanta to secure a place in the last four. Atalanta may be very good going forward but they have previously shown that they can beat Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool team.
Atalanta requires a great deal of help from their home fans but it may just not be enough against this Liverpool-winning machine.
Atalanta 1-3 Liverpool
