As the final quarter of the 2023/24 campaign rumbles on, this week serves as a bit of a relaxing affair for the Reds. Following the supreme intensity of last weekend's 1-1 draw against Manchester City, a relatively straightforward 6-1 demolition of Sparta Praha in the 2nd leg of the Europa League Round of 16, ensured Liverpool's qualification for the Quarter Final.
The win guarantees the Reds are riding a wave of momentum heading into another Quarterfinal, this time against fierce rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup. Here are some of the latest headlines coming into Sunday.
Europa League Opponents Revealed
Liverpool have drawn Italian side Atalanta as their opponents in the Europa League Quarterfinal, with the Serie A side overcoming Sporting CP in the Round of 16 with an aggregate score of 3-2
The Reds have notably come up against Atalanta a few years back in the 2020 Champions League group stage, with Klopp's men demolishing the Italian outfit 5-0 during the away fixture, but then coming back down to Earth somewhat in the return game, losing 2-0 at Anfield.
Quite notably, the first leg of this tie is to be played at Anfield with the second away to Atalanta this time around.
Interestingly, the positioning of Liverpool in the Europa League bracket sets up a potential final clash against Bayer Leverkusen at Dublin.
With the Bundesliga leaders facing West Ham in the Quarterfinal and, if they were to advance, face the winner of the Roma vs AC Milan tie. The Reds meanwhile, will face the winner of the Benfica vs Marseille tie, and if all goes to plan, we could be in for a mouth watering Europa League Final filled with storylines.
The complete #UEL draw ✊ pic.twitter.com/24I130jZEx
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 15, 2024
Gomez named amongst England selection
It's been a long, yet, largely rewarding season for Liverpool, and a big reason as to why this is the case is the versatility of Joe Gomez. Our longest serving player has been a staple throughout the Liverpool eleven this season, and he's finally been rewarded with that coveted England call-up for his efforts.
Gomez will be available for Gareth Southgate's plans for England's upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Belgium, both of which are scheduled to be played on the 23rd and 26th of March, respectively.
This marks a first international call-up for Gomez since 2020, which is certainly more than he deserves considering how critical he's been for Liverpool this season. Let's just hope he doesn't break his goal scoring duck on international duty and saves it for when he's wearing an LFC shirt!
Largely positive news on the injury front
One massive theme throughout the last few months are the injuries that Liverpool have had to deal with. However, following Jurgen Klopp's Friday press conference, there have been some positive developments.
Ryan Gravenberch, missing since picking up that injury in the League Cup Final has been training and is ready to feature against Manchester United on Sunday.
The Dutchman had seen improved form before getting injured and would be a decent option to bring off the bench.
Ibrahima Konate, meanwhile, remains a serious doubt against Liverpool's fierce rivals. The Frenchman hasn't played since the first leg of the Europa League Round of 16.
Klopp stated, "It will be a tight race for Sunday that we will probably lose." There's no doubt that the 24-year-old will continue to be a big miss, as he was last weekend against Manchester City.
Finally, when asked about which potential senior players could feature after the international break, Klopp revealed the improved chances of Curtis Jones, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Diogo Jota to potentially make the squad against Brighton.
This could potentially serve as a massive boost to a Liverpool squad who've been scraping by due to injuries, as they look to close out Klopp's farewell tour strong and laden with trophies.