Liverpool to visit Atalanta in Europa League, seeking miracle after 3-0 home loss in their quarter-final opener

By Can Erozden

Liverpool are set for a tough UEFA Europa League quarterfinal clash at Italy's Atalanta on Thursday following a 3-0 home loss in their quarter-final opener on April 11.

Last week, Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool were stunned by guests Atalanta at Anfield after Gianluca Scamacca's double and Mario Pasalic's late goal, which means the Reds have a quite difficult task at the second leg at Stadio di Bergamo.

Klopp, who has been the Reds' boss since 2015, previously confirmed that he is in his final season at Liverpool and wants to bid farewell to the English club with a European title, and this season's Europa League final will be held in Dublin, a Liverpool stronghold.

Liverpool are also striving for the 2024 English Premier League title as they are battling Manchester City and Arsenal in the league.

Meanwhile, their opponents Atalanta surely have a big advantage after Liverpool's slip-up at Anfield. However, their job is not finished.

A similar mistake might cause trauma for the Italian club because Liverpool got used to perform miracles in their European campaigns.

The most famous one was in the 2005 UEFA Champions League final where the Reds came back from 3-0 deficit to beat the Italian powerhouse AC Milan on penalties in Istanbul.

The winners of this tie will play against either Benfica or Olympique Marseille in the semifinal.

Liverpool won the second-tier European title in 1973, 1976, and 2001 when the tournament was the UEFA Cup. They were the 2016 Europa League runners-up as Sevilla beat the English club 3-1 in the final in Basel, Switzerland.

The Atalanta vs. Liverpool showdown in Bergamo will begin at 1900GMT.

- German champions Leverkusen eye West Ham game

Meanwhile, Germany's Bayer Leverkusen, who won their first-ever German Bundesliga title on Sunday after a 5-0 win over Werder Bremen, want more in their amazing season.

On Thursday, Xabi Alonso's jubilant Leverkusen will be hosted by England's West Ham United in London.

The German club beat West Ham 2-0 in the quarterfinals' first leg last week held at Leverkusen's BayArena to feel more comfortable for their next game in the Europa League.

Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface were the scorers against West Ham at BayArena.

Thursday's match at London Stadium will kick off at 1900GMT.

Leverkusen won the UEFA Cup in 1988, their sole European title. The German team were the 2002 UEFA Champions League runners-up after they lost to Real Madrid 2-1 in Glasgow.

The winners of the Leverkusen vs. West Ham tie will next play against either Roma or AC Milan.

- Thursday's fixtures:

Roma - AC Milan (1-0)

Atalanta - Liverpool (3-0)

West Ham United - Bayer Leverkusen (0-2)

Olympique Marseille - Benfica (1-2)