Burkina Faso
Nigeria
South Korea
United Arab Emirates

Atalantavs.Liverpool

sportsmole.co.uk, 17 April 2024, 15:41
Europa League history must be written by Liverpool if they are to somehow prolong Jurgen Klopp's final continental journey on the Reds touchline, which seems destined to come to an end in Bergamo on Thursday night.

Immediately regarded as one of the favourites to lift the Europa League trophy aloft once their top-four failure last season was confirmed, putting a staggering 11 strikes past Sparta Prague over two legs would seemingly be a harbinger of doom for an Atalanta BC side flattering to deceive domestically.

As it was, Liverpool were the ones who left a lot to be desired in front of the Kop last Thursday, where Klopp was left aghast as Gianluca Scamacca's brace and Mario Pasalic's strike sealed an unforeseen 3-0 triumph for Gian Piero Gasperini's troops.

While Liverpool's first-leg showing was nothing short of abysmal - as was their worrying profligacy in the weekend's Premier League loss to Crystal Palace - no Atalanta fan needs reminding of how the Reds have become synonymous with extraordinary European fightbacks since the turn of the millennium.

Twenty-seven points won from losing positions in the 2023-24 Premier League season is also the best record of its kind - three more than closest challengers Manchester City - although Liverpool are yet to fight back from three goals down in the top flight this term.

Diogo Jota thrives in Europa League action

Furthermore, 132 previous Europa League/UEFA Cup ties have seen an away team win a first leg of a knockout match by at least three goals, and on 132 occasions, the victorious travellers progressed to the next stage.

However, Klopp is now ready to unleash the Europa League ace up his sleeve in the form of Diogo Jota, who has once again been bedevilled by injuries this season, spending several weeks out with a knee issue during the final stages of winter.

The Portugal international's latest affliction has now cleared up, though - he was brought on as a second-half substitutes in defeats to Atalanta and Crystal Palace - and he has ostensibly built up enough minutes to justify a return to the first XI.

Thursday's second leg is crying out for a player of Jota's credentials, as the former Wolverhampton Wanderers man has developed an affinity for standout showings in the Europa League, having a direct hand in 17 goals from 18 games including qualifying.

From matches solely in the group stage and beyond, Jota has an impressive nine goals under his belt from just 12 contests, including back-to-back hat-tricks against Besiktas and Espanyol during the 2019-20 campaign with Wolves.

Jota in a Liverpool league of his own

Prior to his latest muscular and knee issues, the 27-year-old also notched in three successive group games versus Union SG and Toulouse (twice), and he averages a goal every 64 minutes in the competition.

Since the competition's rebranding in 2009, no player with at least five strikes possesses a better goal-to-minutes ratio, and Jota also out-performs his fellow Liverpool attackers in a crucial metric.

Indeed, the Portuguese is the only one out of himself, Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz to be bettering his Premier League Expected Goals (xG) this season, registering nine despite an xG of just 4.91, enhancing his credentials as a ruthless finisher.

Jota has also put 62.5% of his big chances away in the top flight - for comparison, the ever wasteful Nunez has only converted 19.4% of such opportunities, making the Uruguayan statistically the most profligate player in Europe's big five leagues in that regard.

Jota is no stranger to success in Bergamo either - netting a terrific treble in the 5-0 Champions League crushing of Atalanta BC in 2020 - so Klopp simply must find a way to accommodate the ex-Wolves man in his starting XI if Liverpool are to shock the continent again.

Show more

Top News

20 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni will be looking for someone to step up in Lionel Messi's absence in Friday's 2026 World Cup qualifying clash against Uruguay. 20 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina have confirmed Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez has withdrawn from the squad due to injury. 20 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have reportedly identified Inter Milan centre-back Alessandro Bastoni as a possible replacement for Virgil van Dijk. 20 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk As part of their preparation for the World Cup Qualifiers, Northern Ireland are set to host Switzerland at Windsor Park for a friendly match on Friday. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni will be looking for someone to step up in Lionel Messi's absence in Friday's 2026 World Cup qualifying clash against Uruguay. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Paris Saint-Germain have been touted as a possible destination for Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk, who is currently set to leave the club for free in the summer. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina will resume their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign when they travel to Montevideo for Friday's clash against Uruguay. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly interested in the signature of RB Leipzig attacker Xavi Simons, with the club having failed to impress in the final third under Ruben Amorim. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Poland will hope to get their World Cup 2026 qualification campaign off to a strong start when they welcome Lithuania to Stadion Narodowy in their first group stage game on Friday. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has been handed another potentially concerning injury scare, as Ryan Gravenberch has been forced to withdraw from the Netherlands squad. 19 March 2025 talksport.com Crawley Town have sacked Rob Elliot ahead of their final nine games to secure League One survival. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk In their first group stage game of their World Cup qualification campaign, Malta will host Finland at Ta'Qali National Stadium on Friday. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Algeria will aim to go a step closer to securing qualification for the 2026 World Cup when they clash with Botswana at Francistown Stadium on Friday. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Following in the footsteps of Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello as England's third permanent foreign manager, Thomas Tuchel takes charge for the first time when Albania stop over at Wembley on Friday. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Ecuador will welcome Venezuela to the Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado in Quito for Friday's 2026 World Cup qualifier. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Officials from Manchester United and Real Betis will reportedly meet next week to discuss Antony's future, with another loan move for the 2025-26 campaign believed to be a serious option. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona are reportedly considering making a move for Feyenoord defender Givairo Read during this summer's transfer window. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Galatasaray chief Abdullah Kavukcu has said that Victor Osimhen will inform the Turkish giants in April whether he is open to joining them on a permanent basis during this summer's transfer window. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing Lille midfielder Angel Gomes on a free transfer this summer. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Wolverhampton Wanderers are allegedly among the clubs who have made an offer for Corinthians attacker Yuri Alberto. 19 March 2025 talksport.com Gateshead's potential takeover reportedly involves a former Premier League striker. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal are reportedly prepared to offer new contracts to Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri following their first-team breakthrough this season. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United will reportedly scout Ipswich Town's Liam Delap and Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike on Friday evening, as the pair prepare to go head-to-head for their respective national teams. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid defender Raul Asencio is reportedly on the verge of signing a new deal with Los Blancos. 19 March 2025 talksport.com Alan Shearer believes he would 'absolutely' make the current England squad in his prime. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Meeting for just the seventh time, England and Albania will clash in World Cup qualifying this week, as both take their first step on the road towards the 2026 finals. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr are reportedly prepared to launch a move to sign Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes. 19 March 2025 talksport.com Manchester United have identified their 'most likely' striker target for the summer. 19 March 2025 talksport.com Chelsea and England hero John Terry was in the talkSPORT studio on Wednesday morning to tackle a wide range of topics in football. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Romania will be aiming to make it seven straight wins in all competitions when they open their World Cup 2026 qualification campaign with a home fixture against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday night.