Preview: Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid - prediction, team news, lineups

Liverpool and Atletico Madrid kick-start their 2026-27 Champions League campaign with a mouth-watering League Phase battle at Anfield on Wednesday night.

This fixture represents a repeat of matchday one from last season when the Reds claimed a 3-2 home victory over their Spanish counterparts, with Virgil van Dijk netting a 92nd-minute winner.

Match preview

After coming from behind to rescue solitary points in back-to-back 2-2 draws with Newcastle and Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, Liverpool celebrated their first win of the Andoni Iraola era last Friday when they secured a 2-0 away victory over Ipswich Town.

Two goals scored in the opening nine minutes by “massive player” Alexander Isak ensured that Iraola avoided becoming the Reds’ first manager since Brendan Rodgers to fail to win any of his opening three top-flight matches, with the Spaniard admitting that his team “needed that one with the way it has been”.

Iraola is now preparing for his first taste of Champions League football as a manager, with six-time winners Liverpool seeking to better last season’s quarter-final finish and end their eight-year wait to lift Europe’s most prestigious club trophy.

Including results from last season, Liverpool have scored in each of their last nine competitive matches across all competitions - netting at least twice in six of those - since they were eliminated from the Champions League’s last eight by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain in April, losing 4-0 on aggregate.

The Reds enter this year’s League Phase having finished in the top three of the 36-team table in each of the last two campaigns, coming first in 2024-25 and third last season with six wins out of eight. They have also won their last six League Phase meetings with Spanish opposition, keeping four clean sheets in their last five.

After accumulating seven points from their opening three La Liga fixtures of the new season, Atletico Madrid’s unbeaten start came to an end on Saturday when they suffered a deserved 3-0 away defeat at Athletic Bilbao.

Previously known for his intense and defensively disciplined approach, head coach Diego Simeone lamented his side’s second-half display against Athletic, describing it as “a real wake-up call” at this early stage in the campaign – Atleti have now conceded six second-half goals across their last three matches.

Simeone is, in fact, the longest-serving coach among clubs competing in the 2026-27 Champions League, having taken charge at Atletico in December 2011. The passionate Argentine is tasked with steering the three-time losing finalists, and last season’s semi-finalists, to their first-ever triumph in the competition this term.

Los Rojiblancos head into Wednesday’s clash with Liverpool seeking to claim their first-ever Champions League group stage/League Phase victory over an English team, having previously drawn four and lost six of their 10 encounters.

Atleti will at least back themselves to make the net ripple against the Reds, having failed to score in only two of their last 24 group stage/League Phase games, while they have drawn a blank just once in their previous five visits to Anfield (W1 D1 L3).

Liverpool form (all competitions):

Atletico Madrid form (all competitions):

Team News

Liverpool duo Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo have been left out of the club’s Champions League squad, while Hugo Ekitike (Achilles), Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni (both knee) all remain sidelined with injuries. There is also uncertainty over the availability of Joe Gomez (muscle).

After keeping a clean sheet against Ipswich, Iraola may decide to stick with Barcelona loanee Ronald Araujo at right-back next to Jeremy Jacquet, Van Dijk and Milos Kerkez in a four-man defence, while Ryan Gravenberch will be pushing to replace Alexis Mac Allister in a deep-lying midfield role.

New big-money signing Bradley Barcola, a two-time Champions League winner with PSG, could be handed his first start for the club on the right flank, which may see Victor Munoz drop down to the substitutes’ bench.

In-form Cody Gakpo is likely to retain his spot on the left, with Florian Wirtz operating in the No.10 position behind striker Isak, who has only scored one goal in 13 UCL games in his career to date.

As for Atletico Madrid, Alexander Sorloth is expected to miss out with a thigh injury, while Arnau Ortiz is suspended after receiving a red card while playing for Slask Wroclaw in a Conference League qualifier back in August 2024.

Simeone has a big decision to make in attack, as wantaway forward Julian Alvarez could be considered for a start after featuring as a substitute in the defeat to Athletic. Jonathan David is also in contention to lead the line, while fellow new recruit Cristian Romero is hoping to earn his full debut at centre-back.

Club legend Koke will hope to replace either Morten Hjulmand or Pablo Barrios in centre-midfield. Atleti’s captain will become the 28th player to reach 150 UEFA club competition appearances if he features in some capacity at Anfield.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:

Alisson; Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch; Barcola, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak

Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:

Oblak; Llorente, Pubill, Romero, Grimaldo; Koke, Hjulmand; Simeone, Baena, Lookman; David

We say: Liverpool 2-1 Atletico Madrid

Given the defensive frailties displayed by both clubs in the opening weeks of the campaign, an entertainment-filled affair could be on the cards on Merseyside, where the introduction of summer addition Barcola should elevate a fearsome Liverpool frontline.

Though Simeone's men possess the tools to hurt the hosts, Los Rojiblancos have historically struggled to grind out results against English opposition. Backed by a raucous Anfield crowd, Iraola's charges may have enough firepower to edge a tight contest and secure a fourth consecutive UCL win over their Spanish counterparts.

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