Five Atalanta players who could trouble Liverpool in Europa League

On paper, it should be a fairly straightforward tie for Liverpool, with their opponents languishing in sixth in Serie A and having won just twice in their last nine games in all competitions.

Despite this, Atalanta do have some players that could cause issues for Klopp's team and will be key to any chances of a potential upset.

The Italians finished unbeaten in the group stages and topped Sporting, Sturm Graz and Rakow on their way to the knockout rounds.

They then faced Sporting again in the round of 16, winning 3-2 across two legs to set up a final-eight tie with Liverpool.

Across 28 Europa League fixtures, Atalanta have only ever lost three times.

From former Premier League players to upcoming stars who have been linked with moves to England, Flashscore have picked out five men who could threaten Liverpool in the Europa League quarter-finals.

Ademola Lookman

Former Leicester, Fulham and Everton attacker Ademola Lookman is one of the most exciting members of an Atalanta attack that has scored 55 goals in Serie A this season.

The Nigerian has netted nine goals in all competitions (eight in the league, one in Europe), while also providing four assists.

Premier League fans will best remember Lookman for his horrific attempt at a panenka penalty for Fulham back in 2020, but the forward has grown exponentially since then and has matured into a real threat.

Playing most of his minutes either as a striker or just behind another forward, Lookman will have a tricky evening up against Virgil van Dijk - but could find some joy on the left (where he often featured in England) against an inexperienced Conor Bradley.

Teun Koopmeiners

Teun Koopmeiners has been linked with a move to Liverpool in the past, with the Dutch midfielder impressing in his three years at Atalanta since joining from AZ Alkmaar in 2021.

While capable of playing deeper or in the centre of the pitch, Koopmeiners is best utilised as an attacking midfielder - as shown by his 11 goals in Serie A this season, the most of any Atalanta player.

In his three seasons in Italy, the midfielder has scored 25 times and provided nine assists while averaging a 7.2 rating in the last two years.

While a midfielder being linked with Liverpool in the last year isn't exactly a surprise, Koopmeiners has plenty of ability and could have an excellent battle against Wataru Endo on Thursday evening.

Gianluca Scamacca

While Gianluca Scamacca doesn't start every match - he has only completed 90 minutes once this season - the striker is on a good run of form heading towards the quarter-finals having netted four goals in his last six games.

His time at West Ham was underwhelming but Scamacca is slowly getting back on track in Italy and was crucial to Atalanta reaching the last eight of the Europa League with a goal in both legs of their round of 16 tie with Sporting.

The striker may not start at Anfield but is still an important part of a strong attacking unit and could be of use off the bench later in the fixture.

Ederson

Brazilian midfielder Ederson was recently linked with a Premier League move to Newcastle having majorly progressed at Atalanta in the last two years.

While not as beneficial in attack as Koopmeiners, Ederson offers a solid base to build from in the middle and is a trusted member of the Italian side's midfield.

He has started all but six of Atalanta's games this season, although is often rotated with Marten de Roon and Mario Pasalic.

If given the chance at Anfield, Ederson could face a tough challenge against the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai - but it will be a good audition for a potential move to England in the future.

Aleksey Miranchuk

It's uncertain whether Aleksey Miranchuk will start the quarter-finals, with the Russian in and out of Atalanta's side this season, but two top performances in the round of 16 could see him given the chance to impress against Liverpool.

Miranchuk set up the Italian side's only goal in the first leg against Sporting and was player of the match in the second leg, assisting Scamacca's winner to secure a spot in the quarter-finals.

Despite indifferent form in Serie A, Miranchuk has been a top performer when called upon in Europe and a big stage at Anfield could give him a platform to shine again - likely on the right wing up against either Andy Robertson or Joe Gomez.