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Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images
The Reds look to give themselves a leg up in the Europa League quarter finals as they play hosts to Atalanta.
Liverpool vs Atalanta
| Thursday, April 11th |
Europa League | Anfield
8PM BST / 3PM EST
After a disappointingly self-inflicted draw with arch rivals Manchester United on Sunday, Liverpool will be looking to make things right as quickly as possible, and with the schedule as packed as it is, they won’t hve to wait long, as they play hosts to Atalanta in the first leg of the Europa League quarter finals.
The two teams have only faced off twice previously, with both fixtures occurring in the Champions League group stage back in 2020/21, the Reds winning 5-0 in Bergamo, before falling 2-0 at Anfied a months later, as both teams qualified to the knockout rounds.
It’s been an inconsistent year for the Nerazzurri, with their Serie A campaign accumulating only a single four-game winning streak, and they sit sixth in the division, eight points out of the Champions League places. The Europa League has gone somewhat more smoothly, and following an unbeaten group stage effort, they defeated Ruben Amorim’s Sporting Lisbon in the round of 16 by a single goal on aggregate, after an away draw and home win.
Young starlet centre-back Giorgio Scalvini has missed consecutive games with a hamstring problem and looks set to miss out, but Gian Piero Gasperini can otherwise call on his best players, including top scorer Teun Koopmeiners, Belgian light house Charles De Ketelaere, and former Everton man and notoriously tricky winger Ademola Lookman.
Projected Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)
Kelleher; Bradley, Konaté, van Dijk, Robertson; Endo, Mac Allister, Elliott; Gakpo, Darwin, Salah
For the Reds, Alisson is back in team training, but whether the Brazilian is immediately brought back in to start remains to be seen. Trent Alexander-Arnold has also returned to regular training and might feature, but in all likelihood as a substitute, with Conor Bradley getting another start alongside Ibrahima Konaté, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson.
In midfield, Stefan Bajcetic is finally back from injury, but will be eased into team training and match fitness over time, and is not a candidate to play tomorrow night. Wataru Endo will likely start alongside Alexis Mac Allister once again, with Curtis Jones a dark horse, while Harvey Elliott could be handed a starting berth over Dominik Szoboszlai following a string of impressive cameos.
Up top, Diogo Jota is back in full training and could feature, but most plausibly coming off the bench, while Luis Díaz could be given a break, as Cody Gakpo comes into the front line alongside Darwin Núñez and Mohamed Salah.
What the Managers Said
Jürgen Klopp: “They way they defend is quite consistent. We expect a super-organised opponent, that’s what we expect, and an experienced opponent as well.”
Gian Piero Gasperini: “Klopp has a precise identity. It is the most beautiful style, a team that never has a drop in performance. We must not get too excited about a victory or too discouraged by a negative result.”
The Officials (TUR)
Referee: Halil Umut Meler
Assistant referees: Mustafa Eyisoy, Kerem Ersoy
Fourth official: Arda Kardeşler
VAR: Alper Ulusoy, Abdulkadir Bitigen
Kickoff is set for 8PM GMT/3PM EST tomorrow, and television listings for the match can be found on LiveSoccerTV.
In the meantime, and as always, we’ll be keeping you updated with all the buildup to the game, including team news as it’s released, our live matchday thread, and post-match recaps from The Liverpool Offside staff. If you want to join the discussion, sign up for an SB Nation account to have your say on the action as it happens.
