Atalanta vs Liverpool: 5 reasons Reds CAN pull off historic comeback tonight

Here are five reasons Liverpool can pull off a historic comeback in the UEFA Europa League tonight vs Atalanta in Bergamo.

Liverpool are far from favourites to progress tonight as they take on Atalanta in their UEFA Europa League quarter-final second leg. The Reds are 3-0 down after a terrible performance at Anfield - one of the absolute worst of Jurgen Klopp's reign.

But while it's not exactly probable that Liverpool make the semi-finals, it is still possible. Here are five reasons for optimism tonight.

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The history is there

The main reason for optimism is, of course, the fact that Liverpool have done similar in the past. In fact, no team has the record the Reds do of surmounting near-impossible comebacks.

The most similar is the 4-0 Anfield win over Barcelona. Liverpool lost the first leg 3-0, much as they did against Atalanta, but turned it around in one of the most magical nights on their history.

And, of course, there's Istanbul. Down 3-0 at half-time, Liverpool produced the most improbably, ridiculous comeback ever seen. It's even one that Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini talked about this week.

“I’ve seen Liverpool score three in six minutes in a Champions League final against Milan!" he told Sky Sport Italia. "We knew after Anfield it wasn’t over, but Thursday will be an historic appointment for the city, the club and our players."

Last time out

Liverpool have only played in Bergamo once before - but it did come under Jurgen Klopp, with largely the same group of players. It came in November 2020 and saw the Reds demolish Gasperini's side.

Diogo Jota scored a hattrick, with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané each grabbing a goal. Atalanta 0-5 Liverpool, then.

It even has the parallel as Atalanta won at Anfield that season - though, admittedly, later in that month. A similar display just so happens to be exactly what's needed.

Atalanta's last result

Liverpool can take a lot of confidence from Atalanta's last league result. They were at home to relegation-threatened Verona and raced into a 2-0 lead inside 20 minutes.

However, they threw it away. Verona bagged two goals in four minutes around the hour mark to equalise - a result they hung onto for a point.

If Verona can mount a two-goal comeback inside 45 minutes, Liverpool can mount a three-goal comeback in 90.

Stars are returning

Diogo Jota and Trent Alexander-Arnold have a few minutes under their belt now after cameos against Crystal Palace. And while those cameos weren't exactly perfect, they should each be a little sharper against Atalanta.

Maybe even sharp enough to start. Jota remains Liverpool's most lethal forward and bagged a hattrick the last time this fixture took place. Alexander-Arnold is, of course, the most creative player in the squad.

If they're ready to hit another level against Atalanta, they could truly be what turns Liverpool around.

Liverpool can actually score goals. Lots.

The last few weeks have seen Liverpool spur an absurd number of chances. In fact, they've scored just nine from their last 147 shots on goal - an abysmal record.

It's enough to make you forget that Liverpool are actually one of the absolute highest scorers in Europe this season. When things click, they score goals for fun and it means the ability is genuinely there to mount this comeback.

The Reds have more goals than anyone in the Europa League this season (28) despite not having to play in the Play-Off round. They have 72 in the Premier League, just four behind Manchester City even with this spell of struggling in front of goal.

If they can recapture that form - and having Jota and Alexander-Arnold back certainly helps - then they can find what they need to turn this tie around.