LIVERPOOL VS. ATLETICO MADRID
| Wednesday, September 9th |
Champions League | Anfield
8PM BST/3PM EST
Liverpool kick off the league phase of their 2026-27 Champions League campaign on Wednesday night under the lights at Anfield and while reality might always play out differently, on paper at least it seems likely to be the toughest test they will face before the knockout rounds—assuming, of course, that they make it that far.
It’s also the first time new head coach Andoni Iraola will manage in the Champions League, having previously
only managed AEK Larnaca in the Europa League in 2018-19, which required him to navigate six qualification matches before finishing third in their group behind Bayer Leverkusen and FC Zürich.
Wednesday, then, will be a much sterner test than he’s faced before, at least in Europe. The Premier League though is no walk in the park, and Iraola has played and managed against Diego Simeone sides from his time as a player at Athletic Bilbao and then as a manager at Rayo Vallecano. One wouldn’t expect, then, for anything he does see on Wednesday night to be truly unexpected or beyond his ability to prepare for.
Predicted Liverpool Lineup (4-2-3-1)
Alisson; Arujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Muñoz, Wirtz, Barcola; Isak
With the season still young and Liverpool getting a few extra days to rest and prepare after Friday’s 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, we wouldn’t tend to expect changes for the sake of rest and rotation—so a player like Ronald Araujo who came in and was a standout at right back might reasonably be expected to start again unless there’s good tactical reasons otherwise.
It’s a slightly harder call in midfield, with Ryan Gravenberch not favoured against Forest. Against almost any other European opponent we might expect him to swap back in here, but it’s Atleti so it wouldn’t shock to see Iraola favour a little steel and stick with Alexis Mac Allister.
In attack on the other hand we’ve seen Cody Gakpo miss out on training ahead of the match. It’s been largely reported as a precautionary move, but with Bradley Barcola fit after having had a full pre-season with Paris Saint-Germain before joining and Victor Muñoz impressing any time Iraola’s given him a chance, that’s the lineup we’d bet on getting.
The Managers Have Their Say
Andoni Iraola: “It’s a massive test for the team. I think it will show us a little bit where we are. We showed last Friday good signs and now let’s see against a team like Atletico Madrid where we are.”
Diego Simeone: “We are coming into a marvellous stadium and it will be a great atmosphere. We will have to look good from the start of the game because it will be full on.”
The Officials (Italy)
Referee: Davide Massa Assistants: Filippo Meli and Alessio Berti Fourth Official: Matteo Marcenaro VAR: Marco Di Bello and Daniele Chiffi
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