UEL

Standings

Atalanta vs Liverpool

Europa League

How the new Champions League format works

The Champions League format as we know it is coming to an end. Here are UEFA’s proposed changes and what they mean for those involved…

Dan Sheldon210

England's chance of five Champions League places is now 1.1% - but this is how it can happen

Steve Madeley113

Serie A has its mojo back and five guaranteed Champions League places - now, how about six?

James Horncastle58

Alexander-Arnold stepped up for Liverpool - Salah and Szoboszlai need to do the same

Andy Jones63

Bayer Leverkusen's unbeaten run 'a consequence of a good job' - Xabi Alonso

Omar Garrick8

Atalanta 0 Liverpool 1 (3-1 agg): Are Klopp's side out of gas - and should Salah be dropped?

We break down the key talking points from this Europa League quarter-final tie in Bergamo

Philip Buckingham and Mark Carey125

Jurgen Klopp echoes pre-Barcelona sentiment before Atalanta: ‘If we fail, let’s fail in a most beautiful way’

Jurgen Klopp has reiterated the rallying call he gave to his team ahead of the famous second leg comeback against Barcelona in 2019 as Liverpool prepare to overturn another 3-0 deficit against Atalanta in the Europa League quarter-final. Goals from Gianluca Scamacca (2) and Mario Pasalic at Anfield have given Liverpool a mountain to climb and, unlike previous European comebacks under Klopp, it will have to be done away from home. “I remember that I said (in 2019): ‘If we fail, then let’s fail in a most beautiful way’ and that’s how I see it again,” said Klopp, who initially...

Andy Jones7

Man City vs Real Madrid and the games that always delivered

Wenger vs Ferguson, El Clasico and the 'Hand of God' - our writers look back on match-ups that have regularly guaranteed entertainment

Oliver Kay, Raphael Honigstein and more24

Why European football matches might finally be coming to the U.S.

FIFA's rules blocking games abroad look set to change. So who will come to America first and what are the hurdles they face?

Adam Crafton375

Chaos, giggling and drinking - the day Leverkusen celebrated

Fans lined the streets, invaded the pitch and revelled in a day that will go down in German football history

Sebastian Stafford-Bloor44

How Bayer Leverkusen won the Bundesliga: Alonso magic, breaking up cliques and clever transfers

Bayer Leverkusen have cast off the 'Neverkusen' tag to win the first Bundesliga title of their 120-year history

Rafa Honigstein and Seb Stafford-Bloor85

Liverpool's failure to keep clean sheets is proving deeply damaging

Since the start of 2024, Liverpool have kept just five clean sheets from 22 matches in all competitions and none in their past eight

Andy Jones52

West Ham didn't strengthen back in January. Now their lack of depth is costing them

David Moyes had few attacking substitutes to fight back against Leverkusen. West Ham are paying the price for not recruiting in January

Roshane Thomas42

Atalanta had conquered Anfield before - but these memories will echo through the ages

In 2020, Atalanta triumphed in Liverpool during the pandemic. On Thursday, a second memorable win had 'an altogether different taste'

James Horncastle36

Out-of-sorts Liverpool must lift themselves to prevent underwhelming end to Klopp era

From talk of a thrilling quadruple to the looming threat of Jurgen Klopp's farewell turning into a damp squib - this season has taken a turn

James Pearce188

Jurgen Klopp admits Liverpool 'lost the plot' in three-goal defeat to Atalanta

Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool “lost the plot” in their shock 3-0 defeat to Atalanta in the Europa League quarter-final first leg at Anfield. Former West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca struck twice before Mario Pasalic added a third to leave Liverpool with a mountain to climb in Italy next Thursday. It was their first home defeat in all competitions since Real Madrid beat them 5-2 in the Champions League in February 2023. “It was just a really bad game, oh my God,” Klopp said. “We started really well but we didn’t continue. We just lost the plot a bit. We were everywhere and...

James Pearce145

Liverpool 0 Atalanta 3: Calamitous defensive display all but eliminates Klopp's side in first leg - The Briefing

We answer some of the key questions from tonight's Europa League quarter-final at Anfield

Philip Buckingham211

How does Leverkusen's 41-match unbeaten run compare across Europe?

Xabi Alonso's all-conquering Bayer Leverkusen are on course to go a full season unbeaten in all competitions – it’s a rare feat

Nick Miller36

Ademola Lookman: My game in my words

Ahead of his trip to Anfield this week, the Atalanta and Nigeria forward tells us how his time in Serie A has helped him develop tactically

Mark Carey14

UEFA criticised over ticket allocations for Champions League, Europa League finals

UEFA has been criticised by the Football Supporters Europe (FSE) association after ticket allocations for the 2024 men’s Champions League and Europa League finals were confirmed on Tuesday. It was announced that this year’s Champions League final, which will take place at Wembley on June 1, will see each team involved allocated 25,000 tickets of the 86,000 that are available in total. The remaining tickets will be offered for general sale to fans worldwide. This season’s Europa League final, which will be held at the Dublin Arena in the Republic of Ireland on May 22, will see the two...

Nnamdi Onyeagwara34

USMNT Player Tracker: Pulisic eyeing Europa glory, Wright edges clear and Adams spasm

Christian Pulisic remains Milan's main man and Haji Wright's bid to finish as the highest scoring USMNT forward in the Championship goes on

Greg O'Keeffe14

Welcome to The Athletic FC: A newsletter to explain big stories from the global game

Want to stay informed about football/soccer stories from across the world? And get the best of The Athletic in your inbox? Look no further

Phil Hay22

Ajax beaten 6-0 by Feyenoord, biggest defeat in 97 years

Ajax’s disappointing campaign hit a new low after they were beaten 6-0 away at rivals Feyenoord on Sunday — their biggest defeat in 97 years. The hosts stormed into a 3-0 lead in the first half thanks to goals from Igor Paixao, Yankuba Minteh, who is on loan from Newcastle United, and David Hancko. Minteh and Paixao also scored in the second half as did Netherlands international Quinten Timber to complete the demolition at De Kuip. The defeat is Ajax’s eighth of the season, leaving the Dutch club in sixth place and seven points off a European qualification position.

Nnamdi Onyeagwara and Jacob Whitehead22

How can you tell if a football manager is actually good at their job?

In truth the right question is “How do we know if a manager will be good for this group of players?"

John Muller249

Xabi Alonso, the coach who said no to Liverpool and Bayern Munich

Profiling Xabi Alonso, the in-demand Leverkusen coach who chose to stay despite serious interest from some of Europe's biggest clubs

Simon Hughes and Raphael Honigstein84