Liverpool have three undroppables vs Atalanta as Jurgen Klopp faces selection dilemma

Liverpool will know that their season may rest on what happens between now and the close of play on Sunday evening.

The Reds have lost their last two matches against Atalanta in the Europa League and Crystal Palace in the Premier League. The hopes of completing a historic treble have been dealt a major blow as Jurgen Klopp nears the end of his tenure at Anfield.

Klopp will be busy preparing his players to face Atalanta on Thursday night in the quarter-final second leg. The Reds trail 3-0 from the defeat at Anfield in the first leg, with a performance similar to Barcelona in May 2019 needed to reach the semi-final of the competition.

Team selection is likely to be a major debate going into the game. Klopp made six changes for the first leg against Atalanta last week, and it remains to be seen what decisions will be made for the reverse fixture in Italy this time around.

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What that in mind, the ECHO has taken a look at three players who are arguably undroppable for Liverpool for the game at the Gewiss Stadium.

Return of Trent

The injury to Conor Bradley in the defeat to Crystal Palace will be a major blow to Liverpool during the run-in. However, the injury came in a game that saw Trent Alexander-Arnold make his long-awaited return from injury.

Klopp would have wanted to ease Alexander-Arnold back into full fitness ahead of the run-in. Given Liverpool will need a near-perfect game to have a chance of overcoming the deficit against Atalanta, Klopp may gamble and start Alexander-Arnold.

Gakpo conundrum

During Liverpool's injury crisis, Cody Gakpo was handed a continuous run of starts by Klopp while Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez were on the sidelines. Now they have all returned, Gakpo has just started one of the last six matches in all competitions since scoring twice against Sparta Prague.

Gakpo started against Atalanta in the first leg and has proved to be more than capable of scoring crucial goals when needed. Could Klopp put his faith in the Netherlands international when it matters most this week?

Importance of Alexis

One player who has continued to highlight his importance to the Liverpool team is Alexis Mac Allister. Even though recent results have not been what the Reds would have wanted, the midfielder has performed his role exactly as Klopp and the coaching staff would want.

Away at Atalanta, Liverpool will need a player comfortable in possession and can break down the opposition's defence. However, Klopp will be mindful of not giving Mac Allister too much football to run the risk of the Argentina international suffering an injury when his importance to the team is so great.