LONDON – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has promised a strong reaction from his team, stunned by their 3-0 Europa League quarter-final, first-leg home loss to Atalanta, when they host Crystal Palace in their English Premier League clash at Anfield on April 14.

Gianluca Scamacca struck either side of half-time before Mario Pasalic capped an impressive win for the Italian Serie A side on April 11, as the Reds slumped to their joint-heaviest home defeat in European competition.

Klopp will seek to overturn the huge deficit in the second leg in Bergamo next week, but there is also much at stake in his team’s meeting with Palace.

They are involved in a super tight title race in the Premier League with Arsenal and Manchester City, who beat Luton Town 5-1 on April 13 to go two points clear at the top having played a game more.

Depending on the results of their matches, the top-three positions can easily change considering the tight margins.

“The good thing about a really bad performance is that you can play better. We should start from there. I told the boys ‘take it home’, nobody will sleep great and tomorrow we come together,” Klopp said on April 12.

“The boys recover and all the others get a proper session. We go from there and we start preparing for Palace. Yes, we have to show a reaction. Definitely, 100 per cent, that is clear.

“It is now not the first time in my life that I lost a football game, unfortunately.”

Klopp made six changes to his team for the defeat by Atalanta but the recently injured Trent Alexander-Arnold, Stefan Bajcetic and Diogo Jota were left on the bench.

The Liverpool boss also said that players returning from injury could no longer afford to ease their way back to full fitness, suggesting that they must be 100 per cent before they take to the pitch.

“My job is not the easiest in the world, not the most difficult as well,” he said.

“It’s about when you have players you need... to make sure that you get them together on the pitch and then it works out somehow.

“We need them all and we need them all aggressive, fit, going for it.

“We need them a bit angry, full of desire, stuff like this, and not so much dealing with your own situation, like ‘I’ve no rhythm, I didn’t play for ages’, stuff like this. You have to try to avoid that.”

With the focus now on Palace, the Reds will hope not to disappoint their fans again at Anfield like they did against Atalanta, and the odds are all in their favour.

They have lost only two league games this season and are on an eight-match unbeaten run in the English top flight while Palace have only one win in nine.

The visitors have also not beaten Liverpool since 2017, with 11 losses and two draws.

The fit-again Mohamed Salah will once again be key for the hosts, having scored or contributed an assist in 18 goals that have either helped Liverpool equalise or given them the lead this season.

Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara are ruled out, while goalkeeper Alisson Becker is not fully fit.

Palace boss Oliver Glasner, whose side have only 30 points from 31 games but are safe from the relegation zone, believes that they can beat Liverpool, taking reference from Atalanta.

“Every team has, of course, their strengths, and Liverpool have a lot of strengths – but also they have their weaknesses, their zones where you can find space and where you can create chances and score goals,” he said.

“Everything must be perfect. Then, it’s possible to score goals against them.

“I watched the (Atalanta) game just to maybe find something that helps us to win at Anfield, so it was not totally new what I could see.” REUTERS