Alisson delivers honest verdict ahead of Atalanta and reveals Liverpool's 'goal for the rest of the season'

Liverpool will be looking to draw some inspiration from the archives this evening as they attempt another show-stopping turnaround on the European stage. The Reds will take on Atalanta at the Gewiss Stadium for the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final clash, but they have a hefty deficit to overturn.

After exiting the FA Cup and then recording a frustrating draw in the Premier League against Manchester United, Liverpool suffered a 3-0 defeat in Europe as Atalanta enjoyed a successful trip to Anfield.

This is not the first time the Reds have been faced with a mountain to climb but despite their success against AC Milan and Barcelona in the past, they know it’s not a simple task to recreate such history. Alisson has discussed the upcoming clash this evening and weighed in on challenge ahead as Liverpool hope to resurrect their chances of one last European trophy under Jurgen Klopp.

“They will be a tough nut to crack. They are a very physical side, both physically and tactically and technically. It has always been a very tough match to come up against them,” Alisson said during his pre-match press conference.

“They play 11 against 11, man-marking all over the pitch and when you play against a team that do man-mark all over the pitch, you need to make sure that you are willing to put in hard work and run. If you don’t do that, it’s pointless even going out there to play in the first place.

“They did an outstanding job in the last game, you could see that they prepared the game very well with regards to knowledge of us as a team. We also produced a bad performance. I think this match could be a different kettle of fish but we need to do a much better job than we did in the first leg.”

Liverpool were extremely wasteful with their opportunities in the first leg, recording 19 shots and five on target but failing to hit the back of the net. They also boasted 71 percent possession and made a 643 passes compared to Atalanta’s 270, but were still unable to find a way through.

Alisson, who returned from his lengthy injury against Crystal Palace last weekend, has stressed that it is crucial his side keep a clean sheet both this evening and as much as possible moving forward as well.

“This is a goal not only for this game, this has to be our goal for the rest of the season, for the next season and for the seasons to come. Keeping clean sheets is the basis for a successful team. We did that in the past. The trophies we won, we were solid defensive-wise. And that doesn’t depend only on the defenders, but from the whole team, from the whole system.

“We have to defend [with] everyone together, to fight on the pitch to get the ball back, to close the gaps, win challenges, block shots, stop crosses, making saves, making difficult saves. We have to do that as a team to get the clean sheets. I think this is a basis for us not only for tomorrow but for the rest.”