Atalanta face 'wake-up call' ahead of Liverpool clash after disappointing draw against Verona

While Liverpool are coming off a bad result against Crystal Palace, their Europa League opponents surrendered a two-goal lead against a relegation-threatened Verona.

Jurgen Klopp’s side toiled at Anfield against Palace losing 1-0 as they fell two points behind Manchester City in the race for Premier League. It was a disappointing afternoon as chance after chance went begging as they racked up an expected goals of 2.97 across 21 shots as they dominated with 70% possession.

They came up against a resurgent Palace who have been rejuvenated under Oliver Glasner, whose side competed for every ball despite having no threat of relegation. While many have been quick to criticise Liverpool’s lack of quality in front of goal, they still remain just two points behind City and the title isn’t over yet. And their Europa League hopes may not be over yet - based off Atalanta’s last performance.

The Italian side fielded as strong a line-up as they could under their current circumstances as they hoped to continue their push to catch up Roma, who sit in fifth place just four points ahead of them. Facing off against Verona at home - who have the joint-second amount of losses in Serie A. They also have the joint-fourth worse scoring record in the division.

And yet, they managed to claw back two second-half goals to take advantage of a complacent Atalanta side who had ran into a two-goal lead within 20 minutes. It gives some hope for Liverpool who have no choice but to take it to the Italian side on Thursday night, as they hope to pull off another Klopp European miracle to overturn a three-goal deficit.

Speaking after the game, Gian Piero Gasperini said: “It was a good game, but clearly there are regrets we wasted an opportunity when 2-0 up and could've challenged for a more prestigious European place. Unfortunately, we have seen several times this season that we threw away in a very short space of time.

“I also doubt we were distracted by Liverpool, as this was an important match to close up on Roma and Bologna. It would've been fundamental to win this, at least for Champions League ambitions. There is another competition on Thursday, but in Serie A unfortunately we cannot deny that we wasted a lot of opportunities by conceding two goals in a few minutes."