The Reds eliminated Sparta Prague 11-2 in two matches in the round of 16, winning 5-1 at the Epet Arena in last week’s first leg before scoring 4 times in just 14 minutes in Thursday’s second leg 6-1.
In the annihilation of Anfield, Mohamed Salah became the first Liverpool player to score 20 goals in seven consecutive seasons for the Reds, who were rewarded with an intriguing draw against Serie A giants Atalanta.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have already faced Jurgen Klopp’s side at the organisational level of the 2020-21 Champions League, where Liverpool beat La Dea 5-0 away from home before losing 2-0 at Anfield.
Three years later, Atalanta beat Sporting Lisbon 3-2 in the round of 16 to advance to the quarterfinals, where Liverpool waged a colossal war with Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen, who will face West Ham United.
Alonso’s side, seen as one of the leading contenders to update Klopp as Liverpool’s new manager this summer, had a stunning comeback against Azerbaijani giants Qarabag in the round of 16, where a stoppage-time brace from Patrik Schick sealed a 5-4 aggregate victory. .
Leverkusen will now play their first leg at home against Europa Conference League winners West Ham, who overcame a 1-0 deficit against Freiburg with a 5-0 thrashing at London Stadium in Thursday’s match.
If Liverpool and Leverkusen win in the quarter-finals, the two title-chasing titans could meet in the final in May at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium as they were separated in the semi-final draw.
The winner of the draw between Liverpool and Atalanta will face either Benfica or Marseille, the former of which sank Rangers 3-2 on aggregate in the last round, while the French side beat Villarreal 5-3 in two games.
Whoever beats Leverkusen or West Ham will be in contention for a place in the final against AC Milan, who beat Slavia Prague 7-3 on aggregate, or Italian counterparts Roma, who beat Brighton.
The first leg of the quarter-finals will be played on 11 April before the second legs take place seven days later, before the semi-finals start on 2 and 9 May respectively.
Benfica, Marseille, Liverpool or Atalanta will be the teams designated for the final in Dublin on May 22.
AC Milan vs RomaLiverpool vs Atalanta BCBayer Leverkusen vs West Ham UnitedBenfica vs Marseille
Benfica/Marseille vs. Liverpool/Atalanta Milan/Roma vs. Real Madrid Leverkusen/West Ham