UEFA Europa League Draw: The Key Talking Points
Liverpool have been drawn against Atalanta in the UEFA Europa League Quarter-Final following today’s draw. With teams like Bayer Leverkusen, AC Milan, Roma and Benfica still in the competition – the Europa League looks exciting.
Therefore, today we will be taking a deeper look at the key talking points from the Quarter-Final draw and some key narratives to keep a look out for.
Liverpool’s Quarter-Final Test
As mentioned above, Liverpool have been drawn against Atalanta in the Quarter-Final. The Reds will play at home in the first leg, which will take place on the 11th of April. Therefore, it will occur just three days after Liverpool’s huge Premier League clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford. Klopp’s men will face Crystal Palace at Anfield on the Sunday after the Atalanta game.
The away leg will take place on the 18th April, after the Crystal Palace game and before Liverpool’s away game at Fulham in the Premier League. Ultimately, the timing of the two games aren’t too bad at all.
Liverpool have only faced Atalanta twice in the UEFA Champions League in 2020. A Diogo Jota hat-trick sent the Reds to a 5-0 away win at Atalanta before losing 2-0 in a dead rubber game at Anfield the same month.
Benfica Eye Revenge
Should Liverpool progress to the Semi-Finals, they will face either Benfica or Marseille. The Reds have had their fair share of ties with Portuguese sides over recent years. Benfica are undoubtedly the favourites to progress past Marseille, setting up an exciting Semi-Final clash between the two sides.
The two sides met in the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final in 2022, and Liverpool progressed with an aggregate score of 6-4. The Reds won the away leg 3-1, before Darwin Nunez caused Liverpool issues in a 3-3 draw at Anfield in the second leg.
I would definitely welcome a clash with Benfica in the semi-final, with the two sides perfectly set up to provide a thrilling encounter.
Klopp vs Alonso: A Fairy Tale Ending
With Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen on the other side of the draw, there could be a fairytale ending in May. The Europa League Final could ultimately be Jurgen Klopp’s final game in charge of Liverpool, and it could be against the favourite to take his place in the summer.
Alonso has worked miracles with Bayer Leverkusen, and they’re certainly strong favourites to make the final alongside Liverpool. A meeting between the two sides would be rather poetic, but it could end in heartbreak or ecstasy for Klopp and his beloved supporters.
This is certainly the final that the neutrals would want to see, but I’m not so sure about that narrative.
