Liverpool and Atletico Madrid meet again at Anfield on Wednesday, renewing one of Europe’s fiercest rivalries in a Champions League opener rich in history and consequence.
Their last knockout encounter in 2020 still resonates: Atletico’s cagey 1-0 win in Madrid, Liverpool’s furious 2-1 reply on Merseyside, and the chaos of extra time that sent Diego Simeone’s men through on aggregate, just as the pandemic brought football to a halt. Five years on, the stage is similar yet the players are new.
Liverpool, reinvented under Arne Slot, are chasing another continental crown. Atletico, still molded in Simeone’s gritty image, continue to thrive as the tournament’s perennial disruptors.
Liverpool arrive in searing domestic form. Slot has imposed his possession-heavy style without sacrificing the late drama that defined Jurgen Klopp’s reign.
Four Premier League games have yielded four wins, all clinched in the final 10 minutes – a first in English top-flight history.
Mohamed Salah, now 33, has three goals and two assists already, proving as decisive as ever. Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo are forming a potent partnership, while Trent Alexander-Arnold’s hybrid role has unlocked fresh layers of creativity.
Behind them, Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate have tightened a defense that boasts the best expected goals against figure in the league.
The record signing of Alexander Isak for 125 million pounds ($170.5 million) promises another dimension and the Swede is expected to make his long-awaited debut.
The wounds of last season’s Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain still sting.
Liverpool fought but were undone by Kylian Mbappe’s brilliance and the eventual champions’ cutting edge.
Slot, however, has turned that disappointment into motivation.
Anfield has already become a fortress again with 14 straight European wins, 13 of them with at least two goals scored, and the expansion of the Main Stand to more than 61,000 seats has only amplified the intimidation factor.
Atletico arrive with familiar strengths and familiar flaws.
Simeone is now in his 14th season and remains unbending in his philosophy: defensive discipline, physical duels, and quick strikes on the counter.
The statistics remain staggering.
Under him, Atletico have kept 28 clean sheets in 67 Champions League games, the best defensive return by a Spanish club with a single manager.
Yet the trophy has always eluded them, most painfully in two finals lost to Real Madrid.
This year’s squad blends Simeone’s veterans with a wave of new signings.
Antoine Griezmann, at 34, still pulls the strings, dropping deep to orchestrate play.
The 2-0 win over Villarreal last weekend, featuring goals from Nico Gonzalez and Pablo Barrios with Griezmann assisting both, restored confidence after a sluggish start that included a loss to Espanyol and two draws.
Jan Oblak, making eight saves, reminded Europe of his enduring quality.
The picture is complicated by injuries. Hancko’s ankle ligament damage rules him out, while Julian Alvarez and Johnny Cardoso are also set to be sidelined due to injury.
Jose Maria Gimenez and Thiago Almada remain sidelined.
Conor Gallagher, a summer arrival from Chelsea, could be asked to shoulder midfield responsibility alongside Koke and Marcos Llorente.
History tilts toward Liverpool in recent years. Atletico had the better of the rivalry early, including the shock of 2020, but Liverpool responded with back-to-back group stage wins in 2021 and have since beaten three more Spanish sides in Europe.
They are unbeaten in their last five Champions League matches against La Liga clubs, while Atletico have won only once in seven away trips to England in this competition.
The tactical duel is clear.
Slot’s modernized 4-3-3 will aim to suffocate Atletico with possession and quick switches, while Simeone’s compact 4-4-2 will look to punish any overcommitment with counterpunches.
Salah’s duel with Nahuel Molina on Liverpool’s right could set the tone, while Van Dijk’s ability to contain Alexander Sorloth, if fit, will be just as decisive.
