UCL Preview: Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid – key stats, H2H, recent form, line-ups, prediction

Liverpool vs Atletico Prediction - Simeone giving no clue to prepared Klopp
Liverpool vs Atletico Prediction - Simeone giving no clue to prepared Klopp

Liverpool will host Atletico Madrid in a heavyweight Group B clash in the UEFA Champions League.

Venue: Anfield

Key Statistics

  • Liverpool ended their winless run against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League after defeating them 3-2 last month in the reverse fixture.
  • The Reds have been in brilliant form this season, currently second in the Premier League table. They are yet to face a defeat across all competitions.
  • Atletico have been on and off in La Liga this season but they are coming off an impressive 3-0 victory against Real Betis.
  • Mohamed Salah is Liverpool’s top scorer this season, netting 15 goals in both Premier League and Champions League. Luis Suarez has netted 7 goals for Diego Simeone’s side.

Head to Head record

Liverpool managed to end their hoodoo against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League after beating them 3-2 weeks ago. Before that, Jurgen Klopps’ men had never beaten Atletico in the four UCL games.

Recent form

Liverpool: W W W W D

Atletico Madrid: W L D D W

Liverpool

Liverpool managed to see off Atletico Madrid in the away leg last month in what turned out to be a thrilling encounter. Mohamed Salah’s brace helped Klopp’s men end their winless run against Atletico in UCL.

The Reds have been in stellar form this season, currently second in the Premier League table with 22 points while suffering no defeats.

However, they were held to a 2-2 draw by an impressive Brighton side in the weekend league fixture, which prevented their chance of closing down the gap with leaders Chelsea.

Salah failed to find the nets after a long time but he will look to return to his best against Atletico on Wednesday.

Possible line-up

Alisson; Andrew Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Trent Alexander-Arnold; Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain, Curtis Jones, Jordan Henderson; Diogo Jota, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah

Atletico Madrid

Atletico were quite disappointed with the outcome in the reverse fixture, with Liverpool having the last laugh. Antoine Griezmann’s double went in vain as he was shown a red at the start of the second half. The visitors used it to their advantage and came out on top with a scoreline of 3-2.

However, Atletico inflicted an unforgettable scar on Liverpool when they last visited Anfield in the 2019/20 season. Simeone’s men poured cold water on Reds’ chances of progressing to the quarter-finals, beating them 3-2 (4-2 on aggregate) in extra time.

Although Atletico haven’t been at their best this season, they are fourth in the La Liga table, only three points behind leaders Real Sociedad.

Furthermore, they are coming on the back of a thumping 3-0 victory over Real Betis in which Yannick Carrasco and Joao Felix found the nets.

Possible line-up

Jan Oblak; Mario Hermoso, Jose Gimenez, Stefan Savic; Kieran Trippier, Yannick Carrasco, Koke, Rodrigo De Paul; Angel Correa, Joao Felix, Luis Suarez

Prediction

Liverpool 1 – 2 Atletico Madrid