Atalanta take on Liverpool tomorrow and ahead of the game one forward has revealed he’s been learning from Sadio Mane.
With all the focus on the Premier League title, there hasn’t quite been as much attention on Liverpool’s Europa League campaign recently.
But there is still a European trophy at stake here for the Reds. A trophy that Klopp hasn’t yet lifted since taking charge of Liverpool.
Infamously, the last time Liverpool made the final, there would be heartbreak for Klopp and his men with the Reds losing to Sevilla back in 2016.
This time around, Klopp’s men still have further to go until they can even start thinking about lifting the trophy.
The first challenge will be to beat Atalanta in the quarter-finals of the competition. The Reds will welcome the Italian side to Anfield in the first leg of the competition.
Ahead of the game one their forwards has been speaking really highly of Sadio Mane.
What has Ademola Lookman said about Sadio Mane?
Ademola Lookman will be one of Atalanta’s biggest threats in both games for Liverpool. Lookman is dangerous in front of goal, and has recent history beating Liverpool at Anfield.
Back when he was playing for Leicester City, he even scored a winner against the Reds at Anfield a few years ago.
Since then, the former Everton attacker has become even better. This season he has 12 goal contributions in 24 matches in Serie A, and he will be looking to cause an upset at Anfield again.
Ahead of the match, Lookman has given an insightful interview to The Athletic, where he also revealed he has been studying Sadio Mane’s game to improve over the last few years.
“The guy who I always looked at the most would have to be Sadio Mane,” Lookman said.
“Looking at his threat in the box, his threat in those little tight spaces, his movement — I have watched a lot of his game in particular.”
Why Liverpool cannot underestimate Atalanta tomorrow
Many will have taken this game as a formality. But the reality is Atalanta are a dangerous side, especially in counter attacks.
They hurt Ruben Amorim’s side a lot in the last round of the Europa League and deservedly went through as winners.
They’ve also beaten Liverpool the last time they travelled to Anfield back during the 2020/21 season in the group-stages of the Champions League.
Currently, sitting in sixth place in the Serie A, they will not be an easy side to beat.