Liverpool travel to Bergamo to take on Atalanta, as they look to overturn the deficit from the first leg of the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals and book their place in the next round of the competition.
Liverpool were beaten 3-0 at home in the first-leg, and they have a mountain to climb in Bergamo when they lock horns with Atalanta on Thursday night.
The Reds have been quite disappointing in their recent outings, and they are coming into this game on the back of a defeat against Crystal Palace. They were held to a draw against Manchester United as well. Jurgen Klopp will demand a strong reaction from his players here and it will be interesting to see if the players can step up and deliver.
Liverpool’s title aspirations are in tatters after the defeat to Crystal Palace, and they will be desperate to salvage the Europa League campaign. Meanwhile, last week’s victory is the only win for Atalanta in their last four showings.
The blow-hot-blow-cold run has left Atalanta eight points behind fourth-placed Bologna in the Serie A standings. Ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter.
Team News & Tactics
Liverpool
Joel Matip misses out with a long-term knee injury, and Thiago Alcantara is sidelined with a hamstring problem. The duo are unlikely to feature again this season. Conor Bradley picked up a knock against Crystal Palace, and he will miss out.
Alisson Becker will start in goal here as the Reds shape up in a 4-3-3 formation. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson will start as the wing-backs, and they will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk will start at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield, Wataru Endo will start as the defensive midfielder, while Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai will look to add creativity and control to the side. Darwin Nunez will lead the line for Liverpool against Atalanta, with Mohamed Salah on the right and Luiz Diaz on the left.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Endo, Szoboszlai; Salah, Nunez, Diaz
Atalanta
Giorgio Scalvini misses out with a hamstring injury, and Sead Kolasinac has a muscle problem. Marco Carnesecchi will start in goal for Atalanta, and they will shape up in a 3-4-2-1 formation.
At the back, Isak Hien will start alongside Berat Djimsiti and Marten De Roon. Davide Zappacosta and Matteo Ruggeri will start as the wing-backs, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch.
As for the midfield unit, Ederson will start alongside Mario Pasalic. They will look to add creativity and control to the side. Teun Koopmeiners and Charles De Ketelaere 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 away defence. Finally, Gianluca Scamacca will lead the line for Atalanta against Liverpool in Bergamo on Thursday.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, De Roon; Zappacosta, Ederson, Pasalic, Ruggeri; Koopmeiners, De Ketelaere; Scamacca
Key Stats
- Liverpool have failed to win four of their last six matches in all competitions.
- Atalanta have failed to win three of their last five matches in all competitions.
- 10 goals have been scored in the last three meetings between Liverpool and Atalanta.
- Liverpool have conceded 12 goals in their last six matches.
- Atalanta are winless in three of their last four matches in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Mohamed Salah
The Egyptian international is our key player to watch out for. He is Liverpool’s top-scorer in all competitions, and the Reds will need him to step up if they want to overturn a three-goal deficit away from home. He could influence the game with his creativity and goalscoring ability in the final third.
Liverpool will look to him to make a difference in the attacking phase of the game. They have been toothless in the attack in the recent outings, and Liverpool will hope Salah can get back to his best and help them going forward.
Prediction
Atalanta 2-1 Liverpool
Atalanta will be the favourites heading into the game, and they will look to pick up another win against the Reds. Liverpool looked disjointed in their last few matches, and they will struggle here away from home.
Atalanta have the quality to pull them apart in the attack, and they should be able to grind out a win. The Reds will look to put up a fight here, but they are likely to come up short once again. A home win seems likely.
