Liverpool require one more European comeback under Jurgen Klopp as the Reds travel to Atalanta looking to keep their Europa League hopes alive.
Klopp’s side were favourites to reach the Dublin final on May 22 and provide a fitting farewell for the German manager, but Atalanta ripped up the script as they stunned Anfield with a 3-0 victory in last week’s quarter-final first leg.
Liverpool have overturned a 3-0 defeat under Klopp before, famously against Barcelona and Lionel Messi in the Champions League in 2019, but that was at Anfield. But Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace means the Reds are without a win in three games. Follow all the action below plus get the latest odds and tips right here:
Atalanta vs Liverpool
Atalanta host Liverpool in the Europa League quarter-final second leg, with kick-off at 8pm
Liverpool in need of comeback after 3-0 first-leg defeat at Anfield
Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, van Dijk, Konate, Robertson; Jones, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz.
Atalanta XI: Musso; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Zappacosta, De Roon, Ederson, Ruggeri; Koopmeiners, Miranchuk; Scamacca.
Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio – Liverpool FC
Team news
19:09 , Chris Wilson
Atalanta make two changes from the first leg tie.
Former Arsenal defender Sead Kolasinac comes in for Pasalic, while De Roon is moved from defence to midfield. Miranchuk comes in for De Ketelaere in midfield.
Team news
19:03 , Chris Wilson
ATALANTA XI: Musso; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Zappacosta, De Roon, Ederson, Ruggeri; Koopmeiners, Miranchuk; Scamacca.
Team news
18:55 , Chris Wilson
Liverpool make three changes to the side that lost to Palace st the weekend. Nunez is replaced by Cody Gakpo, while the injured Bradley is replaced by Trent Alexander-Arnold, for his first start since February.
Szoboszlai comes in for Wataru Endo in midfield.
Team news
18:52 , Chris Wilson
LIVERPOOL XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, van Dijk, Konate, Robertson; Jones, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz.
SUBS: Adrian, Kelleher, Gomez, Endo, Nunez, elliott, Jota, Tsimikas, Gravenberch, Clark, Danns, Quansah.
How a defeat to Man United caused Liverpool to unravel in the title race
18:50 , Chris Wilson
Liverpool’s recent form has been in stark contrast to the majority of the season, and they find themselves on the brink of a disappointing European exit and an exit from the title race.
A 4-3 in the FA Cup ended the quest for a quadruple and, Klopp said, “was like a catastrophe because we were that good and lost it anyway”. A 2-2 in the Premier League has been followed by twin Liverpool defeats at Anfield, to Atalanta and Crystal Palace on Sunday. “I am not sure how we dealt with the United games particularly helped,” said Klopp.
If it suggests his mentality monsters lost their nerve in a pivotal week, Liverpool’s unravelling has felt a cause of fatigue and form, of a previously prolific side proving poor in both boxes, of a team who, as players returned, are in theory as strong as they have been for months but who have just delivered their two worst results of the campaign.
Read Richard Jolly’s Liverpool analysis piece below.
How a defeat to Manchester United caused Liverpool to unravel in the title race
Team news
18:40 , Chris Wilson
Conor Bradley has been ruled out for three weeks after suffering an ankle injury in the 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota and Alisson are now all back from injury and featured at the weekend. Klopp made changes for the first leg – and may do so again given Liverpool’s trip to Fulham in the Premier League is on Sunday and they must win every game to have a chance of winning the title.
Why Premier League is now at risk of missing out on fifth Champions League spot
18:30 , Chris Wilson
Liverpool will almost certainly be safe in qualifying for next year’s Champions League, but their performance tonight could well affect the upcoming season for other English teams.
The Premier League’s hopes of gaining an extra Champions League spot in next season’s revamped competition have been dealt a blow following another poor night of results in Europe.
The Champions League is being expanded to a 36-team tournament from 2024/25 and two of the extra four places will be awarded to countries whose teams perform best in this season’s European competitions.
As confirmed by Uefa on their website, England currently sits third in the race, behind Italy and Germany, which would mean Serie A and the Bundesliga receive a fifth Champions League place next season.
Why Premier League is now at risk of missing out on fifth Champions League spot
Atalanta vs Liverpool betting tips: Europa League odds, predictions and free bets
18:20 , Chris Wilson
Football betting sites see the Reds as favourites to win on the night, but Atalanta have already demonstrated their quality against Klopp’s side and are odds-on to punch their ticket for the semis.
A home win is priced at 4/1, while a draw is offered at 4/1. A Liverpool win is seen as the most likely result, with odds of 4/7.
Unsurprisingly, Liverpool have plunged down the rankings of favourites to win the competition – they’re currently ranked at 11/1.
Current favourites to win the Europa League are Bayer Leverkusen, at 5/4, and Atalanta at 9/2.
Atalanta vs Liverpool betting tips: Europa League odds, predictions and free bets
Is Atalanta vs Liverpool on TV? Channel, kick-off time and how to watch Europa League tonight
18:10 , Chris Wilson
Liverpool require one more European comeback under Jurgen Klopp as the Reds travel to Atalanta looking to keep their Europa League hopes alive.
Klopp’s side were favourites to reach the Dublin final on May 22 and provide a fitting farewell for the German manager, but Atalanta ripped up the script as they stunned Anfield with a 3-0 victory in last week’s quarter-final first leg.
The match will kick off at 8pm BST on Thursday 18 April at the Gewiss Stadium, Bergamo. It will be shown live on TNT Sports 1 and Discovery +.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Europa League match, while you can get the latest match odds and tips here.
Is Atalanta vs Liverpool on TV? Channel, kick-off time and how to watch
Atalanta vs Liverpool LIVE
18:00 , Chris Wilson
Good evening and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s Europa League quarter-final second leg between Atalanta and Liverpool.
