Liverpool handed referee who was once demoted for call that infuriated Antonio Conte
Liverpool face Atletico Madrid to begin their Champions League campaign on Wednesday.
Liverpool are the favourites to win the Champions League, after bringing in the likes of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak.
Arne Slot will be keen to avoid another early exit, as his Liverpool side were knocked out by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 last season.
They will hope to beat Diego Simeone’s stubborn side when to open their league phase in the perfect way.
Liverpool may be concerned by Maurizio Mariani appointment for Atletico clash
Liverpool were helped by a penalty call against Burnley, but refereeing decisions do not always go in their favour.
Maurizio Mariani has been appointed as the referee for the Reds’ clash with Atletico, and he has a controversial history with former Premier League boss Antonio Conte.
In November 2024, he awarded a penalty for Inter Milan against Conte’s Napoli side, which left Conte furious, after Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa’s slight contact on Denzel Dumfries.
Speaking after the contest [Il Mattino], the former Tottenham and Chelsea manager said: “Why can’t the VAR intervene? Either it is there or it is not there to correct errors.
“Otherwise, they hide behind their wills. When they want, they know how to decide. But what does it mean? It [expletive] off all the coaches. What sense does it make? If there is VAR, VAR should be used to correct errors in situations not seen by the referee.
“Mariani makes a glaring mistake that impacts the game.”
Italy’s referee chief, Gianluca Rocchi, labelled the call as “soft” and “below the standard” and Mariani was given a temporary demotion to Serie B.
Liverpool need to make sure the referee can’t impact Atletico game
It will likely be a difficult contest for the Reds, as Simeone’s side are notoriously defensively minded and will be resolute to break down, just as the Clarets were last time out.
That could lead to lots of fouls from both sides, but Slot’s side needs to ensure that they do not give the referee any decisions to make against them, given his controversial history with Conte.
- Liverpool have played Atletico eight times
- Both sides have won three times, with two draws
- Five out of eight times, there were fewer than three goals scored in the match
They need to start fast and get in the lead and force the Spanish side to play their game, rather than falling for the trap of playing Atletico’s way.
If they can do that, they stand every chance of coming away with the best possible start to their league phase campaign in Europe, despite the tough opposition.
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