Liverpool vs Atalanta prediction, odds, betting tips and best bets for Europa League quarterfinal first leg

Liverpool put their Premier League title chase on hold as they host Italian side Atalanta for the first leg of their Europa League quarterfinal matchup on Thursday.

The Reds took a step back in the thrilling domestic run-in, held to a draw by Manchester United which saw them concede the top spot in the table, but remain in the thick of the hunt with seven matches to go. While their title rivals Arsenal and Manchester City both compete in the Champions League, Liverpool considered amongst the favourites to triumph in their European journey.

Atalanta have their own domestic challenges, looking to overcome a five-point gap behind fifth-placed Roma in the hunt for European qualification, but winning the Europa League would also do the trick.

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It took a two-goal comeback against Sporting CP for Atalanta to even reach this stage, trailing 2-1 on aggregate at halftime of their second leg before goals from Ademola Lookman and Gianluca Scamacca turned the matchup on its head.

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Atalanta enjoyed a 10-match unbeaten run in domestic fixtures through the middle of the season, but have just one Serie A win over their last six games since mid-February, seeing them tumble down the table out of European qualifying spots. That poor form almost doomed them against Sporting in the last round, before a quality 45 minutes pushed them into the quarter-finals.

Liverpool were finally burned in the Premier League title race after consistently playing with fire early in matches, but should on the whole have a more talented squad to see out this two-legged matchup before it really even gets going.

Jurgen Klopp engineered a