After surviving another scare to win late on against Burnley, Liverpool play host to Atletico Madrid in the hope of taking their winning run to five games in all competitions.
Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid team news
The big question heading into this one centres around Alexander Isak. Will the Swede make his Liverpool debut? Or will Arne Slot force Anfield to wait slightly longer before seeing their record arrival in action? If there’s a stage to introduce one of the best strikers in the world, it is the Champions League and it is in a game that will desperately need attacking quality.
There will also be question marks about the fitness of Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones. The former took quite the knock against Burnley and has already endured fitness struggles in the early stages of the campaign. Jones, meanwhile, didn’t make the trip to Turf Moor altogether and is yet to return to training ahead of the Atletico Madrid clash.
“There is definitely a chance because he is in the squad. Then there’s a chance to play. It’s 100% sure that he will not play 90 minutes.
“It’s already a Champions League game to look forward to and it’s a chance he could play tomorrow. The only thing that is sure is he will not play 90. All the rest we will see.” (Slot on Isak’s potential debut)
The Spanish club also have some frustrating injury concerns. As Fabrizio Romano confirmed, Diego Simeone will be without both Julian Alvarez and Johnny Cardoso for his side’s trip to Anfield. Losing Alvarez is a particular blow for the Argentine manager.
The former Manchester City forward has been the star of the show ever since arriving in Spain and he has continued that form so far this season – scoring once and assisting once in four games.
The task that Simeone now has is finding a similar star within his squad to replace Alvarez ahead of such a challenging test at Anfield.
Liverpool predicted line-up (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Bradley; Konate; Van Dijk; Robertson; Gravenberch; Szoboszlai; Gakpo; Wirtz; Salah; Ekitike
Atletico Madrid predicted line-up (4-4-2): Oblak; Llorente; Le Normand; Lenglet; Riggeri; Simeone; Gallagher; Koke; Gonzalez; Griezmann; Sorloth
Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid results
The Kop will still be stung by one of Atletico Madrid’s previous Anfield visits, in particular. But since Simeone’s side escaped with a shock 4-2 aggregate victory in extra-time to knock the Reds out of the Champions League in 2020, it has been the Premier League giants that have dominated.
Liverpool 2-0 Atletico Madrid
03/11/2021
Atletico Madrid 2-3 Liverpool
19/10/2021
Liverpool 2-3 Atletico Madrid
11/03/2020
Atletico Madrid 1-0 Liverpool
18/02/2020
Liverpool 2-1 Atletico Madrid
29/04/2010
Wednesday’s clash will be the first time that Slot has squared off against Atletico Madrid as Liverpool manager, but Simeone is still a manager that he knows well.
The last time that they faced each other, intense words were shared as they went back and forth on a disagreement. Given that Slot won round one with a late Feyenoord winner, there’s no doubt that he’ll be hoping for a similar victory in round two this evening.
The history of the fixtures tells us to expect goals, late drama, shock moments and perhaps even another Liverpool victory. Standing in the way of that will, of course, be a stern Atletico side.
It’s a game that the Spaniards could do with winning too, given that they’ve won just once in four La Liga games this season, which came last time out against Villarreal.
Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid prediction and odds
Will Liverpool make it five from five in all competitions or will Atletico Madrid cause Anfield misery in a repeat of 2020? According to the bookies, who have priced the Reds at 1/2 to pick up three points, Slot’s side are the favourites here. Atletico, meanwhile, are expected to face an uphill battle at 5/1 to win, and a draw sits at 16/5.
When it comes to results, Liverpool are up and running this season. But we are yet to see a performance that reflects their hefty summer spending spree. As is often the case, however, they may well be saving their most convincing performance for the Champions League and Anfield under the lights.
Prediction: Liverpool 2-0 Atletico Madrid
