Preview: Atalanta vs. Liverpool

The Reds look to make in three wins in three as they continue
their Champions League campaign.

Atalanta vs Liverpool

| Tuesday, November 3rd |Champions League | Stadio di
Bergamo8PM BST / 3PM EST

With another international break less than a week away, the Reds
head into final stretch of this particular run of congested
fixtures, looking to cement top spot in both domestic and
continental competition.

For those of us who remember — woefully — the days of facing
Chelsea nine times a season in all competitions, this
Champions League campaign has been a wonderful collection of
novelties. After traveling to Amsterdam and taking on Ajax for the
first time in five decades, the Reds hosted Midtjylland in their
very first run in Europe, and now Jürgen Klopp will take his boys
to Bergamo for the first time in club history.

The darlings of neutral football fans in recent seasons,
Atalanta play a spectacular brand of high-intensity, attacking
football, not entirely dissimilar to Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds, and it
has served them tremendously well, taking them to consecutive third
place finishes in the Serie A, the semi finals of the Coppa Italia
last year, and the quarter finals of the Champions League this
summer. For a team whose honours in its 113-year history consist of
a single domestic cup win, that is remarkable, and one hopes they
can add to their trophy cabinet before the current squad ages
out.

La Dea currently sit fourth in their domestic league,
having lost twice and conceded 13 goals in their opening six
fixtures, but are in a strong position in Group D, two points
behind the Reds, following a thumping of Midtjylland in the opening
round and a home draw with Ajax last week.

Having rested Duván Zapata and giving the returning Josip Iličić
a run-out at the weekend, Gasperini should be able to field all of
his best attackers against the Reds, but will be somewhat light at
the back, with Hans Hateboer, Marten de Roon and Robin Gosens all
set to miss out with injuries. In any event, Liverpool fans should be prepared for a high-stress,
back-and-forth affair.

Projected Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Phillips, Gomez, Robertson;
Wijnaldum, Henderson, Milner; Mané, Jota, Salah

Atalanta are not alone in struggling with injury absences, of
course, and Liverpool have their fair share, but Joël Matip is
reportedly back in full training and could be in contention to
start for the first time since the Merseyside derby a few weeks
ago. Fabinho remains unavailable, while Kostas Tsimikas has
traveled with the squad, even if the Greek fullback is unlikely to
spell Andrew Robertson

In midfield, Thiago has remained at Anfield, while Naby Keita is
once more back in full training and in contention to play in
Bergamo. Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum and James Milner are all available, even if the
latter is only one booking away from suspension from European
competition.

Up top, a combination of quality depth and flagging form could
potentially see a shake-up occur, with Roberto Firmino the attacker most likely to get
a rest. Diogo Jota scored his third consecutive goal — and his
second game-winner in a week — at the weekend and could be in line
for a start, while Xherdan Shaqiri’s sudden burst of form makes
the Swiss international a genuine alternative for the first time in
18 months or so.

What the Managers Said

Jürgen Klopp: “[Atalanta are] very good; top,
top players; top recruitment; very, very well organised; play their
system with 100 per cent conviction, they know exactly what
everybody has to do.”

Gian Piero Gasperini: “Jürgen Klopp is a point
of reference for all coaches, it is an honour for us to face
them.”

The Officials (ROU)

Referee: Ovidiu HaţeganAssistant
referees: Octavian Șovre, Sebastian GheorgheFourth
official: Sebastian ColţescuVAR: Juan
Martínez Munuera (ESP), István Kovács

Kickoff is set for 8PM GMT/3PM EST tomorrow, and television
listings for the match can be found on LiveSoccerTV.

In the meantime, and as always, we’ll be keeping you updated
with all the buildup to the game, including team news as it’s
released, our live matchday thread, and post-match recaps from The
Liverpool Offside staff. If you want to join the discussion, sign
up for an SB Nation account to have your say on the action as it
happens.