Liverpool v Atletico Madrid: Preview, expected line-ups, stats and where to watch

UEFA Champions League, League Stage – 1

Liverpool LIV

9/09/2026 20:00

Atletico Madrid ATM

Anfield

D. Massa

Preview for Liverpool v Atletico Madrid

Liverpool and Atletico Madrid begin their 2026-27 Champions League campaigns with a heavyweight League Phase clash at Anfield on Wednesday night.

The two sides met on matchday one of last season’s competition, with Liverpool edging a five-goal thriller 3-2 after Virgil van Dijk scored a 92nd-minute winner.

The Reds were knocked out by eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain at the last-eight stage in April, losing 4-0 on aggregate, but they have scored in each of their last nine competitive matches since then, finding the net at least twice in six of those games.

Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, suffered their first defeat of the new La Liga season on Saturday when they were beaten 3-0 away by Athletic Bilbao.

Diego Simeone’s side had collected seven points from their opening three league matches, but a poor second-half display at San Mames left the Atletico boss describing the result as a “real wake-up call”.

Simeone has already taken the Spanish side to three Champions League finals, all of which ended in defeat, while Atletico reached the semi-finals last season.

They will be looking to improve their record against English opposition in the League Phase, having drawn four and lost six of their previous 10 matches against Premier League clubs.

The UEFA Champions League Table

UEFA Champions League 2026

World

League Phase

#	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Last 4
1	AEK Athens FC	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	W D
2	Arsenal	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Aston Villa	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Atletico Madrid	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	Borussia Dortmund	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	Barcelona	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
7	Bayern München	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	Bodo/Glimt	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	W W W D
9	Club Brugge KV	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
10	Como	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
11	Fenerbahçe	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	W D W W
12	Feyenoord	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
13	Galatasaray	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
14	Inter	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
15	Lask Linz	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	W L
16	RB Leipzig	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
17	Lens	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
18	Lille	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
19	Liverpool	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
20	Manchester City	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
21	Manchester United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
22	Napoli	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
23	Paris Saint Germain	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
24	FC Porto	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
25	PSV Eindhoven	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
26	Real Betis	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
27	Real Madrid	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
28	AS Roma	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
29	Slovan Bratislava	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	W D W W
30	Sabah FA	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	W L W L
31	Shakhtar Donetsk	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
32	Slavia Praha	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
33	Sporting CP	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
34	VfB Stuttgart	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
35	Viking	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	W D
36	Villarreal	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

• Position 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 : Play Offs

Team News for Liverpool v Atletico Madrid

Liverpool will be without Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo in Europe after both players were left out of the club’s Champions League squad.

Hugo Ekitike is also sidelined with an Achilles problem, while Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni remain unavailable due to knee injuries. Joe Gomez is a doubt because of a muscle issue.

Bradley Barcola is another player in contention for his first start since joining Liverpool. The winger, a two-time Champions League winner with Paris Saint-Germain, could come into the side on the right, potentially leaving Victor Munoz on the bench.

Atletico are expected to be without Alexander Sorloth due to a thigh injury.

Arnau Ortiz is suspended, having been sent off while playing for Slask Wroclaw in a Conference League qualifier in August 2024.

Julian Alvarez could return to the starting XI after coming off the bench against Athletic Bilbao, while new signing Jonathan David is also in contention to lead the attack.

Cristian Romero is hoping to make his full debut at centre-back, while Koke could come into midfield in place of either Morten Hjulmand or Pablo Barrios.

Expected line-ups for Liverpool v Atletico Madrid

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

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

Recent Form & Stats for Liverpool v Atletico Madrid

• Liverpool have scored in each of their last nine competitive matches.
• The Reds have scored at least twice in six of those nine games.
• Liverpool finished top of the Champions League League Phase in 2024-25 and third last season.
• Liverpool have won their last six League Phase meetings with Spanish opposition.
• Atletico have scored in 22 of their last 24 Champions League group stage or League Phase matches.
• Atletico have failed to score just once in their last five visits to Anfield.

Where to Watch Liverpool v Atletico Madrid: TV and online streams

Liverpool v Atletico Madrid will be available to watch live in the UK on TNT Sports, with supporters also able to follow the match on HBO Max.

The game takes place at Anfield on Wednesday night, with kick-off scheduled for 8pm BST.

Prediction for Liverpool v Atletico Madrid

Both sides have shown some defensive problems during the opening weeks of the season, so another entertaining meeting between these clubs could be in store at Anfield.

Liverpool should have plenty of attacking options available, particularly with Barcola pushing for his first start, while Atletico have enough quality to cause problems of their own.

Match Prediction

Liverpool

2 – 1

Atletico Madrid