While a couple of Liverpool's Europa League sojourns away from Anfield left something to be desired, their first-placed finish in the group stage was never in any serious doubt, as the Reds bypassed a tricky playoff tie with a former Champions League contender to earn a ticket straight to the last 16.
Despite coming under the cosh in the first leg of their knockout contest with Sparta Prague, Klopp's men taught the Czech champions a lesson in ruthlessness with a 5-1 romping away from home, before blowing their foes to smithereens in the Anfield return fixture with an even more emphatic 6-1 success.
Four of Liverpool's goals on that evening were struck in the opening 14 minutes - no side had ever surged into a 4-0 lead as early in a Europa League contest - and the Reds have been rewarded with a third quarter-final appearance in the competition; they progressed from both of their previous two.
However, since they last stood side by side while listening to the continental anthem, Liverpool have been subjected to two doses of Manchester United-inflicted misery - after seeing their quadruple dreams dashed in the FA Cup quarter-finals, a 2-2 Premier League draw on Sunday left them below new leaders Arsenal on goal difference.
Atalanta
Bidding to extinguish Klopp's hopes of one last continental hurrah are the team who eliminated the side led by the German's expected successor, Ruben Amorim, as Atalanta left Sporting Lisbon's turf with a creditable 1-1 draw before doing it the hard way at the Gewiss Stadium in the second leg.
Pedro Goncalves's first-half strike put Sporting in the driver's seat, but Ademola Lookman and Gianluca Scamacca - two men familiar to those of a Premier League persuasion - saved Atalanta's Europa League bacon, sending La Dea through to their third European quarter-final in their last five seasons.
However, the previous two both ended in disappointment for Gasperini's charges, who lost to Paris Saint-Germain at this point in the 2019-20 Champions League and RB Leipzig in the Europa League two seasons ago, and Thursday's visitors do not arrive at Anfield with the wind in their sails.
A 3-0 Serie A beating of faltering champions Napoli followed the second-leg success over Sporting, but La Dea have since been knocked out of the Coppa Italia by Fiorentina before a dampening 2-1 top-flight loss away at Cagliari on Sunday, leaving them sixth in the rankings and eight points off the top four.
While a couple of Liverpool's Europa League sojourns away from Anfield left something to be desired, their first-placed finish in the group stage was never in any serious doubt, as the Reds bypassed a tricky playoff tie with a former Champions League contender to earn a ticket straight to the last 16.
Despite coming under the cosh in the first leg of their knockout contest with Sparta Prague, Klopp's men taught the Czech champions a lesson in ruthlessness with a 5-1 romping away from home, before blowing their foes to smithereens in the Anfield return fixture with an even more emphatic 6-1 success.
Four of Liverpool's goals on that evening were struck in the opening 14 minutes - no side had ever surged into a 4-0 lead as early in a Europa League contest - and the Reds have been rewarded with a third quarter-final appearance in the competition; they progressed from both of their previous two.
However, since they last stood side by side while listening to the continental anthem, Liverpool have been subjected to two doses of Manchester United-inflicted misery - after seeing their quadruple dreams dashed in the FA Cup quarter-finals, a 2-2 Premier League draw on Sunday left them below new leaders Arsenal on goal difference.
Atalanta
Bidding to extinguish Klopp's hopes of one last continental hurrah are the team who eliminated the side led by the German's expected successor, Ruben Amorim, as Atalanta left Sporting Lisbon's turf with a creditable 1-1 draw before doing it the hard way at the Gewiss Stadium in the second leg.
Pedro Goncalves's first-half strike put Sporting in the driver's seat, but Ademola Lookman and Gianluca Scamacca - two men familiar to those of a Premier League persuasion - saved Atalanta's Europa League bacon, sending La Dea through to their third European quarter-final in their last five seasons.
However, the previous two both ended in disappointment for Gasperini's charges, who lost to Paris Saint-Germain at this point in the 2019-20 Champions League and RB Leipzig in the Europa League two seasons ago, and Thursday's visitors do not arrive at Anfield with the wind in their sails.
A 3-0 Serie A beating of faltering champions Napoli followed the second-leg success over Sporting, but La Dea have since been knocked out of the Coppa Italia by Fiorentina before a dampening 2-1 top-flight loss away at Cagliari on Sunday, leaving them sixth in the rankings and eight points off the top four.
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