Dominant Premier League leaders Liverpool resume their title defence campaign in the UEFA Champions League with a tricky away match on Tuesday, when they visit Atletico Madrid at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium. The two sides have last met in 2010 in the UEFA Europa League semi-finals, Atletico Madrid pulled through on away goals after a 1-0 victory at home and a 2-1 defeat in Liverpool. In 2008 the two teams were in the same UEFA Champions League group, and both matches ended 1-1.
Atletico Madrid are not having the best of seasons in LaLiga, but a good Champions League campaign could make the fans forgive Diego Simeone and his players. Last week Atletico snatched a 2-2 draw at Valencia and kept their fourth place in the league table, but the danger of missing out on a top-four spot is very real for them this season. Atletico have won just one of their last seven matches in all competitions. Kieran Trippier and Hector Herrera are both sidelined for the home side, while Joao Felix, Diego Costa and Alvaro Morata are all injury doubts.
Liverpool are piling on the victories, they have won their last seventeen Premier League matches and seem ready to do some damage in the UEFA Champions League as well, especially with the domestic league title almost secured. Last weekend the Reds won 1-0 at Norwich, marking their fourth consecutive clean sheet. The list of injured players has shrunk significantly, only Xherdan Shaqiri is out of contention for the visitors. Manager Jurgen Klopp will most likely choose to field his usual starting eleven, with the fearsome trio of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane in attack.
Probable line-ups:
Atletico: Oblak - Arias, Savic, Felipe, Lodi - Carrasco, Partey, Koke, Niguez - Correa, Vitolo
Liverpool: Alisson - Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson - Henderson, Fabinho, Wijnaldum - Salah, Firmino, Mane
My prediction:
Atletico Madrid will do their best to keep some chances of qualification ahead of the second leg, but I think Liverpool will do enough to win this match 2-0.
Here are the odds for the match at NetBet:
Atletico win - 3.50
Draw - 3.30
Liverpool win - 2.15
Your feedback
Please enter your comment.
Your comment is added.
