Atalanta will have to pull off the impossible when they travel to Anfield for their Europa League clash with Liverpool, but they could take inspiration from six Italian wins in the past.
La Dea have been undefeated on the European stage this term, finishing top of Group D ahead of Sporting CP, Sturm Graz and Rakow Czestochowa before beating the Lisbon side again in the Round of 16, putting them into a quarter-final clash with the Reds.
Liverpool are desperate to end this season with a bang as coach Jurgen Klopp prepares to leave in the summer, and are still in the thick of the Premier League title race with Manchester City and Arsenal.
Six times Liverpool have lost to Italians at Anfield
La Gazzetta dello Sport suggested Atalanta could take inspiration from the past, highlighting six examples of Italian victories over Liverpool at Anfield in recent years.
In the UEFA Cup in the 1991-92 season, Genoa edged out a 2-0 win over the Reds before their trip to Anfield in March. Osvaldo Bagnoli’s side fought hard to edge out a 2-1 victory at Anfield, with Carlos Aguilera’s brace nullifying Ian Rush’s 49th minute strike.
A decade later in the 2000-01 campaign, Roma and Liverpool met in the UEFA Cup Round of 16; the English side cruised to a 2-0 win in Rome but fell in a tough 1-0 loss to the Giallorossi at Anfield after a 69th minute goal from Gianni Guigou.
Fiorentina took things on step further in the Champions League in the 2009-10 season; the Viola held a 2-0 aggregate lead heading into their trip to Anfield and their magic continued in England, winning 2-1 thanks to Martin Jorgensen and Alberto Gilardino.
The 2012-13 Europa League campaign saw Udinese match up with Liverpool in the group stage. With Antonio Di Natale leading the line, the Friulian outfit edged out a tense 3-2 victory over Brendan Rodgers’ side.
Atalanta themselves have already beaten the Reds whilst on the road in the past; in the Champions League group stage in the 2020-21 term, Gian Piero Gasperini’s side picked up a 2-0 win after goals from Josip Ilicic and Robin Gosens.
The most recent example comes from the second leg of the Round of 16 of the Champions League in the 2021-22 campaign, when Simone Inzaghi’s squad edged out a 1-0 win through a Lautaro Martinez strike. They still lost on aggregate, however, having lost the first leg 2-0.