17 April 2024 , 16:01
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Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini has admitted he is happy to be linked with replacing Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool - but reiterated his sole focus is on beating them in the Europa League.
The Serie A side produced a fine first leg performance to win 3-0 at Anfield last Thursday. A brace from former West Ham forward Gianluca Scamacca and Mario Pasalic's late strike earned a deserved victory over the Reds to put them on the verge of a first European semi-final since 1988.
And Gasperini, who is approaching the end of his eighth full season at Atalanta, has been tipped by some to replace Klopp at Liverpool once the German leaves his post in the summer. However, the 66-year-old is fully focused on Thursday's second leg tie against the Reds, rather than his own personal future.
He told his press conference: "Of course I am happy with links to Liverpool job to replace Klopp but my focus is on the game. We can't be distracted by this kind of links or stories, we have to focus on the upcoming games."
Liverpool come into the game without a win in three matches - their longest stretch without victory since last April. They were held to a 2-2 draw at Manchester United before losing back-to-back home matches against Atalanta and then Crystal Palace on Sunday, denting their Premier League titles hopes.
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Despite trailing 3-0 going into the second leg, Gasperini is expecting another difficult game. "They have their own identity, a very precise one. I expect the best Liverpool possible, with a team that will come here to play for all their chances, we will have to play a great match to get a result," he added.
Gian Piero Gasperini has been linked with the vacant Liverpool job (Getty Images)"We are happy to play a match of good quality in front of our fans. This value, finally with the stadium taking shape. We know that it will be one of the most important matches in history, if not the most important.
"But these are things that are said on the eve of the match, then the moment comes when we will have to know how to isolate ourselves. We must, knowing that the result is what counts.
"We want to progress, it's certainly unacceptable to lose due to spirit and mentality, we must go onto the pitch with this concentration, thinking that Liverpool are a beatable team."
He added: "We know the difficulty, for us they'll always be that team, even though we won the first leg, tomorrow we start again at 0-0, our focus will have to be not to think about the result of the first leg, it will have to be our goal."
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