Liverpool return to Europa League action this week as Jürgen Klopp’s pursuit of a treble intensifies in the German’s final season at the club.
Just eight games separate the Reds from being Premier League champions, and with one eye on domestic responsibilities, a doubleheader at Anfield and then to Bergamo to face Serie A outfit Atalanta in the Europa League quarter final hardly arrives at the perfect moment but is another box to tick on the way to Ireland for the final in May.
With so much football to play in Klopp’s crescendo in Merseyside, Liverpool will be hoping to kill this tie in the first leg, but Atalanta represent significant opposition as they look to maintain their European status following a strong campaign in Serie A. Despite last week’s loss to Fiorentina in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final, Gian Piero Gasperini has established a capable side that will come to Anfield looking to compete and cause trouble for the Reds who are undoubtedly the favourite side to qualify for the semis.
Recent form
Europe’s second tier has been a stomping ground for Liverpool this campaign. Failure to secure Champions League football in 2022-23 required some significant maintenance to Klopp’s squad, and ‘Liverpool 2.0’, a dynamic blend of technical quality in midfield and composed finishing in the final third, has ensured the Reds are competing on all fronts, even with so many injuries heading into the last eight.
Top of the Premier League alongside Arsenal at the time of writing, Liverpool must now turn their attention to the Europa League, in which they remain unbeaten this term. The thrashing of Sparta Praha, 11-2 on aggregate, showed why the English side commandeers are favourites to lift the trophy this season.
On the other hand, Atalanta lost two consecutive matches across all competitions, falling to Fiorentina in Coppa Italia and Cagliari in Serie A. Despite back-to-back losses, La Dea remain in the race for every objective this season. They will play in the Coppa Italia semi-final second leg against Fiorentina later this month and are eight points below 4th-placed Bologna in Serie A with a game in hand. Roma, who sit fifth, are also pretty close being just five points above La Dea. Don’t forget Atalanta beat Napoli 3-0 away less than two weeks ago, so their recent defeats don’t say everything about their recent form.
Furthermore, their knack for scoring goals—they are the fourth-highest scorers in Serie A—means they have all the makings of a side that can cause an upset. The three they got in a 3-2 aggregate win over Sporting in the last round demonstrate their ability to put the ball in the back of the net.
Last encounter
These two sides last met in the group stages of the 2020-21 Champions League season, but both Atalanta and Liverpool have changed massively since. Liverpool were emphatic away from home, blowing the Italians away 5-0 as Diogo Jota scored a hattrick in his maiden campaign for the Reds. However, with qualification already secured, and in the middle of an injury crisis that meant Klopp’s side had gone from favourites to retain the domestic title to a shell of their former selves, Atalanta beat them at Anfield 2-0 with goals from Josip Iličić and Robin Gosens, two players who are no longer in the team.
Team news
Klopp will be looking to give several players a much needed rest in the second leg should his side make an impact at Anfield on Thursday. Despite another ongoing injury crisis, when we checked the latest Europa League odds the Reds are predicted to make it past the Italian side and through to the semi-finals at 2/5.
Fans will be hoping Virgil van Dijk can continue his mercurial season. The Dutch defender remains one of the favourites to win the Europa League Player of the Season, whilst Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson remain sidelined alongside Jota, Alisson and Stefan Bajcetic.
Atalanta will be without star centre-back Giorgio Scalvini for the rest of April, but Charles De Ketelaere has recovered and will be available after playing as a substitute against Cagliari this past weekend. The Belgian had been out since the international break in March with a hamstring injury. He’s been a key figure since arriving on loan from Milan last summer and has hit double figures for goals in all competitions, adding extra responsibility onto Teun Koopmeiners, who is leaving the club at the end of the season following interest from a plethora of top European clubs. The 26-year-old is in the form of his life and can use the trip to Anfield to put his name in the shop window after expressing his desire to move on from the Gewiss next term.
“I told the club that in the summer I would like to leave,” he said: “But to leave Bergamo, a really interesting offer must arrive because I hope that Atalanta will earn a good sum from my transfer. I hope to have some options to think about.”
Prediction
Overall, Liverpool should have enough quality to get over the line and set up an exciting run to the Aviva Stadium for the Europa League Final. At the same time, Klopp will surely have his sights set on a Premier League title – a chance to lift silverware in his final game at Anfield against Wolverhampton Wanderers – the possibility of adding an additional trophy to the cabinet will be all too tempting, but Atalanta will do anything they can to stop the Reds something they already did more than three years ago, although in different circumstances.