Liverpool v Atalanta: Champions League predictions, free betting tips & TV

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Liverpool v Atalanta in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Where to watch

BT Sport 2, 8pm Wednesday

Best bet

Over 3.5 goals
2pts Evs bet365, Betfair

Team news

Liverpool
Mohamed Salah should return after a negative Covid-19 test but Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara may not be risked from the start. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Naby Keita, Xherdan Shaqiri and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are injured.

Atalanta
Mattia Caldara (knee) and Ruslan Malinovski (illness) join Fabio Depaoli on the sidelines.

Match preview

Atalanta, one of European football's great entertainers, chalked up a rare goalless draw at Spezia in Serie A at the weekend but it should be business as usual when they face Liverpool at Anfield in the Champions League.

The Bergamo boys reached the quarter-finals of this competition last season, swatting aside Valencia 8-4 on aggregate in the last 16 before an agonising injury-time defeat to Paris St-Germain.

They kicked off their 2020-21 European campaign with a 4-0 win at Midtjylland and a 2-2 draw with Ajax so Liverpool's defenders must have been expecting a tough test when they travelled to Italy on matchday three.

In fact, the Reds gave Atalanta a taste of their own medicine as a Diogo Jota hat-trick and strikes from Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah put them 5-0 up within an hour in Bergamo.

That will have stung the pride of an Atalanta side who finished third in Serie A last season and were comfortably the highest scorers in Italy with 98 goals in 38 matches.

Their stalemate at Spezia on Saturday followed seven straight league games in which both teams had scored and backing over 3.5 goals looks a solid bet at Anfield.

Liverpool's injury problems have been well documented but they should welcome back Mohamed Salah against Atalanta after the Egyptian tested negative for coronavirus.

In the absence of Salah, as well as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara, Liverpool thumped in-form Leicester 3-0 in the Premier League on Saturday.

Henderson and Alcantara could return to the squad against Atalanta and Jurgen Klopp has Salah, Mane, Jota and Roberto Firmino jostling for starts in the Reds' front three.

Klopp is less spoiled for choice at the back and despite the rout in the reverse fixture Atalanta will surely try to get at a Liverpool side missing three-quarters of its first-choice back four.

Young centre-back Rhys Williams started in Bergamo, along with midfielder Curtis Jones, while Neco Williams and Nat Phillips have also been given opportunities in defence recently.

Liverpool showed their depth of talent and professionalism against Leicester, typified by James Milner's displays at right-back and in midfield.

The Reds have a perfect record in the Champions League this term, beating Ajax 1-0 and Midtjylland 2-0. Given their hectic schedule, Klopp would love to secure qualification with two games to spare but it may not be quite as straightforward as their last meeting with Atalanta.

Key stat

Eight of Atalanta's 11 matches this season have featured over 3.5 goals.

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