Liverpool will host Atalanta in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals at Anfield on Thursday night.
Liverpool will be hoping to pick up a healthy lead when they welcome Atalanta to Anfield and improve their chances of booking their place in the next round of the competition ahead of the second leg.
The Reds are coming into this game on the back of a draw against Manchester United, and their performance was quite mediocre against the Red Devils. The stalemate will have come as a major blow to their title hopes, and they will be hoping to bounce back strongly.
The Merseyside club will look to win the Europa League this season, and this is a must-win contest for them at home. On the other hand, Atalanta will look to grind out a positive result at home and give themselves a good chance of going through to the next round of the competition ahead of the second leg.
Atalanta are in disappointing form right now, and they are coming into this game on the back of two consecutive defeats in all competitions. La Dea have not been at their best, and they will need to improve when they travel to Anfield. Liverpool are not at their best either, and they have failed to win three of their last six outings in all competitions.
Team News & Tactics
Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp will be delighted with the return of Alisson Becker, Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Stefan Bajcetic. All four players have returned to training, and it will be interesting to see if they are part of the match day squad. Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara have been ruled out for the season.
Liverpool are likely to shape up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Caoimhin Kelleher in goal. Alisson is unlikely to be thrown into the starting lineup straight away. Conor Bradley will start as the right-back here, with Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence. Kostas Tsimikas is likely to start as the left-back here. Bradley and Tsimikas will look to keep things compact at the back and help out in the attack as well.
In the middle of the park, Wataru Endo will start as the defensive midfielder, and he will look to break down opposition attacks and win the ball back. Alexis Mac Allister will start alongside him and Curtis Jones in the midfield. Jones and Mac Allister would look to add creativity and control to the side.
Darwin Nunez will lead the line for Liverpool against Atalanta, and he will look to get back amongst goals after a disappointing out against Manchester United. Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz will start in the wide areas.
Possible Lineup (4-3-3): Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, van Dijk, Tsimikas; Mac Allister, Endo, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Diaz
Atalanta
The away side will be without star defender Giorgio Scalvini because of a hamstring problem. Other than that they should be able to field a full-strength lineup.
Juan Musso will start in goal for the Italian outfit, as they look to shape up in a 3-4-2-1 formation. In the back, Rafael Toloi will start alongside Berat Djimsiti and Sead Kolasinac. Davide Zappacosta and Matteo Ruggeri will start as the wing-back, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch.
As for the midfield unit, Ederson will start alongside Marten De Roon. They will look to add creativity and control to the side. Teun Koopmeiners and Mario Pasalic will add creativity and goals to the side from the attacking midfield. They will look to link up in the final third and open up the Liverpool defence. Gianluca Scamacca will lead the line for the away side.
Possible Lineup (3-4-2-1): Musso; Djimsiti, Toloi, Kolasinac; Zappacosta, Ederson, De Roon, Ruggeri; Koopmeiners, Pasalic; Scamacca
Key Stats
- Liverpool have failed to win three of their last six matches in all competitions.
- Atalanta have failed to win three of their last five matches in all competitions.
- Atalanta managed to win 2-0 at Anfield when they played Liverpool away from home last time out.
- Seven goals have been scored in the last two meetings between Liverpool and Atalanta.
- Liverpool have conceded ten goals in their last six matches.
- Atalanta have lost their last two matches in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Mohamed Salah
The Egyptian international is our key player to watch out for, and Liverpool will need him to step up and make a difference in the final third. The 31-year-old will look to add to his goalscoring tally for the season, and he will look to create opportunities for his teammates in the final third as well. Salah has 24 goals in all competitions, and he could punish a vulnerable Atalanta defence.
Prediction
Liverpool 2-0 Atalanta
Liverpool will be the favourites heading into this game. The Reds have a formidable record at Anfield, and they will look to grind out an important win in the first leg. The home team are better on paper, and they should be able to grind out a positive result as well.
This is likely to be a cracking contest between two footballing teams. But the gulf in class between the two sides should see Liverpool rise to the top eventually. A 2-0 win at home is on the cards for Liverpool here.
