Ademola Lookman and Gianluca Scamacca will pose a threat to Liverpool’s defence in the UEFA Europa League quarter-final on Thursday.
The Reds face the Italians in the first of two legs in a week and will hope to put the tie to bed as early as possible.
However, the visitors have previously had success on Merseyside, defeating Klopp’s Liverpool at Anfield 2-0 in 2020.
Liverpool won 0-5 in Bergamo in the corresponding fixture, thanks to a Diogo Jota hat-trick.
They also put Everton to the sword in 2017, coming away with a 1-5 victory at Goodison Park.
England-based Atalanta fan Nigel Mannering runs Atalanta BC News and is quietly confident going into the match.
He said: “The surroundings are not unfamiliar, we’ve got the bulk of the squad, but are missing some of the star players we had back in the day when we won.
“It was very different when playing the game without any fans.
“The atmosphere at Anfield is famous, but the previous result gives us confidence.
“If you look at the other game a few years back, we actually got beat 0-5 at home.
“We have that knowledge of getting a result at Anfield, but the circumstances were different.
“It is intriguing, let’s be honest. I’ve seen Liverpool put three or four goals past teams at Anfield in a very short space of time.
“It’s not impossible that the tie is out of reach after 30 or 40 minutes.
“If we lost 1-0 at Anfield and went back to Italy still in the game, I’d be really happy with that.”
The Nerazurri have a young team blended with experienced players such as ex-Chelsea star Davide Zappacosta.
Dutch midfielder Teun Koopmeiners will also be important if Atalanta are to win this tie.
He’s contributed with 13 goals in all competitions this season.
Ex-Everton man Lookman has settled well in Italy with nine goals this term.
Despite a spread of goals throughout the side, the Northern Italians sit sixth in Serie A and have struggled with consistency at points.
They are eight points behind fourth-placed Bologna but still could win the Coppa Italia if they overturn a one-goal deficit against Fiorentina.
“It’s not really where we want to be. We would like to be in the top four, but there are only a few points in it.
“It probably is where we expect to be. We spent a lot of money in the summer on Scamacca and El-Bilal Toure.
“Lookman has done very well; he is consistent with the number of goals and assists he’s produced both this season and last.
“He is probably the one player in the team that does offer a bit of pace and the ability to go past someone in the attacking phase.”
Rasmus Hojlund departed Italy for Old Trafford last summer, raising funds for the signings of ex-West Ham United striker Scamacca and the highly-rated prospect El-Bilal Toure.
Toure, who caught Everton’s interest last summer, has disappointed fans with just one goal, but Scamacca has shown signs of confidence of late.
“Good signing. He (Scamacca) started the season really well but had a phase around November to January where he spent a lot of time on the bench.
“He went about 14 games without scoring.
“Recently, he has been bang in form, scoring two or three in the last couple of games.
“He really suits our style. This is a player who has the potential to be the top player in the League.
“He could potentially score 10-15 more goals before the end of the season.
“He’s a threat, one of a number we have got. Koopmeiners is a really intriguing player; he does the basics really well.
“He has good technique, can strike a ball and has an excellent range of passing. If you compare him to Gomez, who played at Anfield in 2020.
“He’s someone who would dictate games and show a lot of flair and creativity.
“Koopmeiners is more of a moments-in-matches player than taking matches himself. We’ve got three or four players equally as lethal.
“It all comes down to width; Holm and Zappacosta are crucial. When Atalanta play well, the wide players normally play well, and they are really involved in the attacking play.
“Holm brings a lot of energy, if he steps up then I would imagine Atalanta will get some kind of result.”
Atalanta play free-flowing attacking football but may try to limit Liverpool and stay in the tie at Anfield.
“You want to see us approach with intensity and get a result. However, we set up very cagey against Fiorentina (in the Coppa Italia) and wanted to stay in the tie.
“I would say it will be similar, and we will try to stay in the tie when going back to Bergamo.
“The squad depth is stronger than it’s ever been. You have players like Pašalić and Miranchuk, who are also good options down the side. We are still quite limited at the back.
“As long as we have something to take to Bergamo, the tie will still be alive. If we can get something more, then great.”
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side will welcome Liverpool to Bergamo on April 18 with a hostile atmosphere at Gewiss Stadium.
“We must use Cagliari as an example because if we want to get something from Liverpool, we need to face that match with the same fighting spirit that Cagliari showed against us today,” said the veteran manager after his side’s defeat to Cagliari last week.
Mannering continued: “As a standard, the atmosphere for the European games is pretty good.
“We have the classic tifos and displays. It is a really hostile atmosphere.
“The same is true that we are still doing the development. You have one stand that will be empty apart from a small pocket of Liverpool fans.”
Liverpool are heavy favourites and will hope to take a huge step towards their fourth UEFA Europa League triumph.
The Reds’ main threat will come from Bayer Leverkusen managed by former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, who are yet to taste defeat in any competition this season.
If Liverpool successfully negotiate the tie against Atalanta, they will face the winner of Marseille vs Benfica.
(Featured pic under Alamy Images agreed licence)
