Liverpool will return to Europa League duty on Thursday (April 11) when they host Serie A side Atalanta in the first leg of their quarter-final tie.
Thursday’s clash will allow the Reds to rectify the disappointing 2-2 draw against Manchester United that saw them lose top spot in the Premier League this past week.
Despite a myriad of chances created, Liverpool were unable to convert them into goals, allowing Erik ten Hag’s side to retain an opportunity and one they took through goals from Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo.
It was only due to a late Mohamed Salah penalty that Liverpool were able to gain a point from the clash at Old Trafford which saw them lose ground in the Premier League title race.
However, thanks to their participation in multiple competitions, they now have the opportunity to get back to winning ways after just five days when they host Atalanta.
The Italian side should prove to be tricky opposition for the Reds. The Serie A outfit sit sixth in the league and despite a fairly respectable season thus far, they’ve earned just one win in their last six league games and are coming off a 2-1 loss to Cagliari.
Despite their poor form, recent performances regularly go out of the window when it comes to Europe as one good showing can see the entire tie completely change momentum.
Aside from the 2-2 draw against Manchester United, Liverpool have been in stellar form, losing just one match in the Premier League in 2024 and thanks to the recent returns of Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Diogo Jota, the Reds are almost at full strength for the business end of the season.
They have little history with Atalanta with the two teams only facing each other twice in their competitive histories with both games coming in 2020 when they were in the same group in the Champions League.
The first game in Italy saw Liverpool claim a mammoth 5-0 victory partly in thanks to a Jota hat-trick but Atalanta returned the favour two weeks later when they claimed a famous 2-0 win at Anfield.
With the score between the sides sitting 1-1, it’ll be interesting to see who’ll claim bragging rights ahead of the second leg later this month.
LFC Globe Verdict
Liverpool are rightly the favourites and their top form as of late shows me that they’ll win and win comprehensively when they take on Atalanta at Anfield.
While they won’t see the returns of their recently injured players yet, they’ll field a team strong enough to get a victory.
