Liverpool begin their charge for a seventh European crown with a blockbuster clash against Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid at Anfield. The two sides know each other well, with this meeting marking the fifth time they’ve faced off in the last five seasons.

Rojiblancos 

After finishing third in La Liga last season and suffering Champions League heartbreak at the hands of Real Madrid, Atletico underwent a busy summer rebuild. Eleven new faces arrived, including €50m midfielder Álex Baena (currently sidelined by injury), former Barcelona defender Clément Lenglet on a free, and Arne Slot’s former Feyenoord centre-back Dávid Hancko (€26m).

However, their form has been far from convincing. A disappointing Club World Cup campaign bled into their league start, with Los Rojiblancos failing to win any of their first three La Liga fixtures.

A 2-1 victory over Villarreal last weekend finally got them up and running, leaving them 11th in the table with five points (W1, D2, L1).

Despite the poor start, Diego Simeone is backing his squad to turn things around and promised a proactive approach at Anfield:

“We have a tough opponent but we will try to hurt them in the game tomorrow whenever we can.”

“I’m sure we will have the intention of bringing the game where we want it to go.”

Isak Debut?

New Liverpool signing Alexander Isak could be in line for his long-awaited debut. Arne Slot confirmed the striker is part of the squad but played down chances of a full start.

“Then there is a chance to play. Normally I would say 99.9 per cent sure, but I can say it’s 100 per cent sure he will not play 90 minutes. But he is part of the squad.

Head-to-Head

Liverpool and Atletico Madrid share a dramatic recent history in Europe. The Spaniards famously knocked out the Reds with a 3-2 extra-time win at Anfield in 2020, just before the Covid-19 shutdown.

Since then, Liverpool have had the upper hand. In their last meeting in 2021, Jürgen Klopp’s side raced into an early lead through Diogo Jota and Sadio Mané, with Atletico reduced to 10 men after Felipe’s first-half dismissal.

Team News

Liverpool will be without Curtis Jones, who is targeting a return in Saturday’s Merseyside derby. Federico Chiesa is not included in the Reds’ Champions League List A squad, while Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai could both reach their 100th Liverpool appearances on the night. With Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong back fit, Arne Slot hinted Szoboszlai could return to a central midfield role.

Atletico Madrid travel to Anfield with several absentees. Julián Álvarez was forced off against Villarreal, while Johnny Cardoso (ankle) is out and Dávid Hancko has travelled but is a doubt. Thiago Almada, Álex Baena and José María Giménez remain unavailable for Diego Simeone’s side.