Liverpool could drop five players vs Atalanta as Reds seek miraculous comeback

Liverpool are in Italy tonight (8pm) with a 24-man squad looking to pull off the impossible. No Europa League team has ever managed a three-goal comeback away from home in the second leg. And that is what the Premier League title hopefuls must do against Atalanta.

All 15 previous occasions in which a team has turned around such a deficit, they have had the advantage of playing at home in the second leg. The Reds trail 3-0 after a sloppy performance at Anfield last Thursday in which ex-West Han striker Gianluca Scamacca scored twice.

It leaves them on the brink of elimination after they had been dreaming of reaching the Dublin final next month to send Jurgen Klopp off with the only trophy he has yet to win with the club. And after a similarly poor performance in a league defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday, Klopp is guaranteed to make changes.

One will be forced upon him with Conor Bradley facing the rest of the month out due to an ankle ligament injury. That means Trent Alexander-Arnold, who replaced him to play 42 minutes against Palace, should start at right-back.

Klopp could make another four tweaks on top of that. One may come in central defence with Ibrahima Konate way off his usual levels in the last two matches. Jarell Quansah could displace the Frenchman.

Alisson is expected to start again over Caoimhin Kelleher after making some excellent saves at the weekend while left-back Andy Robertson was arguably the only outfield starter to come away with credit from the 1-0 loss to Palace.

Atalanta have conceded 172 shots from outside of the box this season and so Dominik Szoboszlai's long-range ability could come in useful. Cody Gakpo is another who can power a strike from distance. Both may come into the starting line-up here.

Gakpo was the only other outfielder other than Robertson to do himself justice in the last match. He could replace the profligate Darwin Nunez who struggled in the first leg against Atalanta, with Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah keeping their places out wide.

Diogo Jota has looked rusty since his return and while he is Liverpool's most predatory finisher, him and Nunez might be used as second-half options instead. In midfield, with Wataru Endo looking exhausted against Palace and replaced at half-time, he could be benched.

That would see Alexis Mac Allister deployed as the No. 6. While he is not as capable as a fully-fit Endo at fending off counter-attacks, he is excellent on the ball and him playing him deeper would allow for the energy of Szoboszlai and Harvey Elliott in the two No. 8 roles.

Liverpool were thwarted in the first leg when Elliott played at right wing. But in midfield, he and Szoboszlai can provide the running on and off the ball to trouble Atalanta's man-marking system. Gakpo can also drop deep from centre-forward to ensure Liverpool are not as easily overrun as they were in the first leg.

Liverpool's travelling squad means Jayden Danns and Bobby Clark offer wildcard options from the reserves if the senior players struggle against the Serie A side like last week. A clean sheet will be the first target for the Merseyside club, and another will be to be far more clinical than in their past three games of which an xG of 9.08 led to just two goals.

Possible Liverpool starting XI vs Atalanta: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Elliott, Szoboszlai; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz

Liverpool travelling squad in full: Alisson, Gomez, Endo, Van Dijk, Konate, Diaz, Szoboszlai, Nunez, Mac Allister, Salah, Adrian, Jones, Gakpo, Elliott, Jota, Tsimikas, Robertson, Gravenberch, Clark, McConnell, Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold, Danns, Quansah.