Liverpool get their 2026/27 Champions League campaign underway against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday at 8pm.
The Reds just about secured their spot in the competition thanks to a fifth-placed finish in the Premier League. Three years ago Liverpool missed out for the same finish, only aided this time around by the Premier League getting an extra spot. They’ll be hoping to make an improvement on their quarter-final exit last season, beaten 4-0 on aggregate by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.
Atletico Madrid made it to the semi-finals last season, narrowly losing 2-0 to runners-up Arsenal. The Spanish side have a decent recent record in the Champions League, reaching at least the quarter-finals in two of the past three seasons. And their only failure in that time was a highly controversial penalty shootout defeat to Real Madrid in the last-16.
These two sides met in the Champions League last season, with Liverpool winning the league phase match at Anfield. They’ve won four of the nine meetings in total, with three Atletico Madrid wins and two draws.
Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid team news
Liverpool team news
Andoni Iraola tasted his first victory as Liverpool manager over the weekend, and it was a good moment for the Reds. They came through the 2-0 win over Ipswich Town unscathed and were able to rest key players late on.
So Iraola may name an unchanged lineup from the win for Liverpool’s Champions League opener. Alexander Isak will lead the line, with Cody Gakpo, Florian Wirtz and Victor Munoz behind him. Bradley Barcola is another option having made his Liverpool debut at the weekend from off the bench.
Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister appear to have emerged as Iraola’s first-choice double pivot. Wataru Endo hasn’t been included in Liverpool’s Champions League squad. Ronald Araujo started at right-back over Jeremie Frimpong and may continue there, alongside the usual defence of Virgil van Dijk, Jeremy Jacquet and Milos Kerkez.
Joe Gomez, Giovanni Leoni, Hugo Ekitike and Conor Bradley are all injured. Federico Chiesa is also injured, but isn’t in Liverpool’s Champions League squad.
Atletico Madrid team news
Diego Simeone has named an unchanged side across his Atletico Madrid’s past two games. And he may make it three in a row despite the weekend’s defeat to Athletic Bilbao. There will be one change to the squad, though, with Arnau Ortiz suspended. The 24-year-old was sent off in his last European game, for Slask Wroclaw in the Uefa Conference League in August 2024, and hasn’t been able to serve the suspension since then.
Alexander Sorloth will also miss out, still recovering from injury. Julian Alvarez has travelled and will be pushing for his first start of the season after a drawn-out transfer saga. But Alex Baena may still lead the line, with Ademola Lookman, Lee Kang-in and Giovanni Simeone joining him.
Marc Pubill kept his place in the Atletico Madrid defence at the weekend despite Robin Le Normand returning from suspension. So he may remain alongside Davd Hancko as the centre-back pairing. Jan Oblak will play in goal, with Marcos Llorente and Alex Grimaldo at full-back. Cristian Romero will be itching to break into the defence on his return to England, though.
Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid predicted lineups
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Munoz, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak.
Atletico Madrid (4-2-3-1): Oblak; Llorente, Pubill, Hancko, Grimaldo; Barrios, Hjulmand; Simeone, Lee, Lookman; Baena.