Atalanta vs Liverpool: Betting Odds & Prediction
(Featured image: Alamy Images)
Liverpool will need to put their nightmare week behind them quickly as they look for a UEFA Europa League miracle when they travel to face Atalanta on Thursday night.
The Reds come into the game 3-0 down from the first leg at Anfield, and will need to produce one of their greatest ever European comebacks to keep their European dreams alive. Kick-off is set for 8pm at the Stadio di Bergamo.
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Atalanta
Atalanta have been strong in Europe this season, remaining unbeaten in the Europa League in nine games, including the first leg on Merseyside a week ago.
A major factor in their success so far in the competition has been their defence, with only AS Roma (0.6) conceding less goals per game in the Europa League than their 0.7. Only Brighton & Hove Albion and Roma have bettered Atalanta’s four clean sheets.
Another positive for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side is the fact that only Inter Milan have managed to defeat them by more than one goal since early December, a stat which Liverpool will need to break if they are to somehow secure passage to the semi-finals on Thursday evening.
Ex-West Ham United striker Gianluca Scamacca terrorised the Reds backline at Anfield last week, and his brace brought his total in this season’s Europa League to five, and only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (10), Romelu Lukaku (7) and Joao Pedro (6) have scored more in the competition.
Atalanta have however struggled in Serie A as of late, winning just one of their last eight league games, a statistic which might garner some hope for the visitors as they look to achieve mission impossible.
⚫️🔵 Atalanta's third...
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) April 13, 2024
⚽️ Mario Pašalić@Atalanta_BC || #UEL pic.twitter.com/bvVMbcwhHb
Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp’s farewell tour has hit a brick wall over the past week. The first leg at Anfield has all but knocked the Reds out of the competition they were favourites to win at the start of the season, while a draw at Manchester United and a home defeat to Crystal Palace has saw Liverpool drop to third behind Manchester City and Arsenal in the Premier League.
The Liverpool forward line have been misfiring since the international break, and that all came to a head in their past two Anfield outings where they failed to score from 39 shots and 4.6 expected goals against Atalanta and Palace.
The Reds have also struggled in their away ventures in Europe this season, losing two of their four games away on the road so far, although their last away outing in this competition saw them win 5-1 at Sparta Prague.
Liverpool are still the competition’s top scorers this season with 28 goals despite last week’s result, but have overperformed their expected goals significantly (which currently stands at 22).
Klopp's men can ill-afford to concede more goals in this tie, yet the Reds backline have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last nine games in all competitions and have kept just two clean sheets in nine European games this season. Liverpool have been renowned for their comebacks this campaign though, claiming 27 points from losing positions in the Premier League heading into this fixture.
Prediction
Even for the comeback machines that are Liverpool, this is surely a step too far. The Reds are conceding far too many goals, while struggling to put chances away at the other end. Atalanta winning the tie is worth little value, whilst winning the game on the night is not a safe option given La Dea’s poor form despite last week’s shock win.
Klopp will surely go all out from the off in Bergamo, which will leave gaps for the likes of Scamacca to exploit, so an entertaining game could be on the cards.