The Champions League returns to our screens tonight, and the Reds face a tough matchup against Italian outfit Atalanta in their third group game of the campaign.
A win today will put Liverpool at least 5 points clear of their competition, with a perfect record after three games of the competition so far.
Atalanta have proven themselves to be a tough side to play against, reaching the quarter-finals of the competition last season, losing out 2-1 to PSG. So far this season, La Dea have a win and a draw in the European competition and will be hoping to return to winning ways after drawing 2-2 with Ajax during game week 2.
The Italian’s go into this game with four wins in their last six league games – but did lose out 4-1 to Napoli and 3-1 to Sampdoria, with experienced wing-back Hans Hateboer not included in the game against the Naples side, and only coming on with half hour to spare against Sampdoria – something that the Reds will be keeping an eye on, with the hope that the Dutchman won’t be included tonight either.
It will prove one of the tougher games in Liverpool’s Champions League calendar, so who will the Liverpool players and fans need to keep their eye on during the match?
Can the Reds beat Atalanta tonight?
Yes
No
Player to watch out for – Atalanta, Duvan Zapata
The Colombian has been the club’s best performer in the Champions League this season, averaging a rating of 8.41/10 according to WhoScored. His 2 appearances have produced 3 goals and an assist, and the 29-year-old forward will likely be hoping to continue this form into the game against us tonight.
The striker has averaged 4.5 shots per game in the competition so far, so Liverpool’s defence will have a job on their hands to keep him quite come tonight. I Nerazzurri are known for their goalscoring prowess, bagging 98 goals in the league last season – so whatever the outcome tonight, be sure that Zapata and co. will come out all guns blazing.
Player to watch out for – Liverpool, Alisson
The Brazilian goalkeeper returned to the starting lineup against Sheffield United after his miraculous recovery from injury and will prove vital for the Reds tonight against Atalanta.
Alisson has proven himself in big Champions League games, especially against Italian opposition, having plied his trade for AS Roma between 2016-2018 – with experience against tonight’s opposition. His performance in our 1-0 win over Napoli in our Champions League-winning season was pivotal in our progression through the competition, preventing Arkadiusz Milik from scoring in injury time.
Expect a big performance from the Brazilian tonight, as his performance will help determine the outcome of this game against Atalanta.
Score Prediction: Atalanta 1-3 Liverpool
Despite the evident goalscoring ability that Atalanta possesses, I feel that the Reds have enjoyed proving their doubter wrong as of late, with the club sitting top of the Premier League table and unbeaten in their Champions League campaign so far.
I expect, given the starting XI, that Liverpool’s front-three will enjoy a game of this calibre and pace, and hopefully, we will see both Sadio Mané and Mo Salah get themselves on the scoresheet. It would be great to see a start for Diogo Jota tonight, with the Portuguese man in fine form for the Reds having scored in all of his last three games.
I fully expect Duvan Zapata to give the Liverpool backline the runaround, along with fellow forwards Alejandro Gomez and Josep Ilicic, who have shown themselves to be quite the handful when playing on the same cord.