Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid preview: Team news, likely lineups, scoreline prediction
Liverpool will take on Atletico Madrid at Anfield in the Champions League on Wednesday.
After losing to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties in last season’s round of 16, Arne Slot will be looking for a massive improvement in performance this time around.
Mohamed Salah’s last-minute penalty at Burnley made it four wins from four for the Reds on Sunday, who have made a strong start to their Premier League title defence.
Liverpool are favourites to lift the Champions League crown in Budapest in May, and will be looking for a strong start against Atletico to show off their credentials.
Form guide
Liverpool: WWWW
Atletico Madrid: WDDL
Team news
Federico Chiesa was left out of Liverpool’s Champions League squad, meaning the Reds will be a man short in attack for the league stage.
Alexander Isak is in line to make his debut against Atletico after he was left out of the squad that won at Burnley due to a lack of fitness.
Isak joined Liverpool on deadline day from Newcastle, but the Swede has only seen 28 minutes of action so far this season due to being on strike on Tyneside all summer to force the move to the Reds.
Hugo Ekitike is expected to remain up front from the start, with Isak likely to come off the bench in the second half to make an impact, before potentially making his first start against Everton on Saturday.
Alexis Mac Allister’s fitness is yet to be revealed after being substituted at half-time at Turf Moor, while Curtis Jones could return to the bench after missing the Burnley win with a knock.
For the visitors, Diego Simeone has been dealt a triple blow after Julian Alvarez, David Hancko and Robin Le Normand were all substituted with suspected injuries during the 2-0 win over Villarreal.
Simeone has confirmed that Hancko has suffered an ankle injury and will require further assessment to determine if he is fit to play at Anfield, while Alvarez and Le Normand are expected to be fit.
Predicted lineups
Liverpool XI: Alisson; Bradley, Van Dijk, Konate, Robertson; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Salah, Gakpo, Ekitike
Atletico Madrid XI: Oblak; Llorente, Le Normand, Lenglet, Ruggari; Simeone, Barrios, Koke, Gonzalez; Griezmann, Alvarez
Prediction: Liverpool 2-0 Atletico Madrid
The Reds’ results so far haven’t been a direct indication of their performances, with four late winners in four games showing that Liverpool haven’t been at their best.
However, this Atletico side is not the team from years gone by, and they have struggled in La Liga so far, with just one win in four games.
The Reds have by far the better team on paper and will likely have, arguably, the most lethal substitute in the entire competition in Isak.
With that in mind, Liverpool News predicts the Reds will continue their hot streak with an opening-day statement against the Spanish giants.
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