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Full time2–1
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Dominik Szoboszlai 40'Alexis Mac Allister 50'
Marcos Llorente 17'
Ronald Araujo 40'Alexander Isak 50'
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Liverpool v Atletico Madrid prediction: Champions League preview, lineups & tips

Liverpool open their Champions League league phase at Anfield against Atletico Madrid, with history between the two suggesting goals at both ends.

Lauren Lister
Published
Tue 8 Sept, 10:43
Updated
Wed 9 Sept, 16:23

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A league phase opener with an old rival

The Champions League's league phase format means every fixture from here counts individually towards a single table, and Liverpool could not have asked for a juicier way to start theirs.

Atletico Madrid arrive at Anfield for matchday one of the competition's group-less first phase, a tie that has previous - and not the dull kind.

This is not a dead rubber to be squeezed in in between bigger nights. Points now shape seeding for the knockout play-off round later in the season, and a home win would be exactly the kind of start Liverpool will want on the board early.

BET FOOTBALL
LiverpoolLiverpool
2–1
Full time
Atletico MadridAtletico Madrid
Wed 9 Sept, 20:00•Anfield

How the two sides have fared against each other

Liverpool and Atletico Madrid have met five times in the Champions League and the head-to-head record leans towards the hosts, with Liverpool winning three of those and Atletico two, no draws between them at all.

The most recent of those meetings came at Anfield almost exactly a year ago, when Liverpool edged a seven-goal thriller. Games between these two simply do not stay goalless, and that history is the backdrop to matchday one rather than any tale of qualifying rounds, since this fixture opens the league phase for both clubs rather than following on from an earlier tie this season.

Team news and rotation risk

A midweek Champions League opener at home, live on television and following straight off the back of a domestic weekend, is exactly the kind of fixture that tempts a head coach into fringe changes.

Liverpool's options up front are already thinner than they would like given the players missing through injury, which should push the more experienced forwards straight into the side rather than allow for rotation.

Atletico, with nothing in the supplied data to suggest injury absences of their own, look better placed to name a settled XI.

Last 6 · most recent left
LiverpoolLiverpool
No recent formW0 D0 L0
Atletico MadridAtletico Madrid
No recent formW0 D0 L0
Champions League · season 2026 · UEFA Champions LeagueLive snapshot
#TeamPGDPts
12Borussia DortmundBorussia Dortmund1+13
13LiverpoolLiverpool1+13
14Real MadridReal Madrid1+13
15ArsenalArsenal1+13
16AEK Athens FCAEK Athens FC1+13
17AS RomaAS Roma101
18Shakhtar DonetskShakhtar Donetsk101
19PSV EindhovenPSV Eindhoven101
20FenerbahçeFenerbahçe101
21VillarrealVillarreal1-10
22LilleLille1-10
23Slavia PrahaSlavia Praha1-10
24Club Brugge KVClub Brugge KV1-10
25InterInter1-10
26Atletico MadridAtletico Madrid1-10
27NapoliNapoli1-10
Champions League

Line-ups

LiverpoolLiverpool4-2-3-1
  • 1GAlisson Becker
  • 33DR. Araújo
  • 5DJ. Jacquet
  • 4DV. van Dijk
  • 6DM. Kerkez
  • 8MD. Szoboszlai
  • 10MA. Mac Allister
  • 73MR. Ngumoha
  • 7MF. Wirtz
  • 29MB. Barcola
  • 9FA. Isak
Manager · Andoni Iraola
Atletico MadridAtletico Madrid4-4-2
  • 13GJ. Oblak
  • 14DMarcos Llorente
  • 21DC. Romero
  • 18DMarc Pubill
  • 17DD. Hancko
  • 20MG. Simeone
  • 8MPablo Barrios
  • 6MKoke
  • 10MÁlex Baena
  • 7FLee Kang-In
  • 19FJ. Álvarez
Manager · D. Simeone

Where to watch

Kick-off at Anfield is 20:00 BST on Wednesday 9 September. TNT Sports holds the UK rights to Champions League coverage this season and is the confirmed broadcaster at competition level, so this tie should be available to subscribers through that service.

This is matchday one of the league phase rather than a knockout leg, so there is no extra time or penalties on the night whatsoever - a draw is simply a draw, with both sides taking a point into the rest of their league phase campaign.

Liverpool v Atletico Madrid: head-to-head stats

  • Liverpool have won three of the five Champions League meetings between the sides, with Atletico winning two and no draws in the set.
  • The average goal count across those five meetings sits at 3.6 per game, with both teams scoring in three of the five (a 60% BTTS rate).
  • Three of the five previous meetings have gone over 2.5 goals - a 60% over rate across the head-to-head.
  • The last meeting, at Anfield in September 2025, finished 3-2 to Liverpool.
Headline prediction · our pick
✓ HitConfidence · medium

match result: liverpool to win

Liverpool at home in a Champions League night at Anfield is about as favourable a starting point as this competition offers, and bet365 have the hosts as clear favourites at 4/6 (1.75) with Atletico out at 18/5 (4.60). The head-to-head suggests goals are close to guaranteed whichever way this goes, and with Liverpool's own injury list forcing their more attacking options straight into the side, you have to feel there are goals in this one at both ends. Atletico have shown before they can hurt Liverpool on the counter, so a clean sheet feels unlikely, but the balance of history and home advantage points towards a home win with goals shared.

Best Price3/4bet365 · score 2-1
✓ Prediction landed
TIP 01✓ Hit

Correct Score: 2-1

The head-to-head between these two rarely settles for a single goal margin, and a 2-1 scoreline mirrors the kind of tight, end-to-end game these fixtures have produced before. It is a reasonable price given how often both sides have found the net against each other.

TIP 02✓ Hit

Over 2.5 Goals: Over

Three of the five previous meetings between these two have gone over 2.5 goals, and with an average of 3.6 goals per game across the head-to-head, backing the over at 1/2 (1.50) looks like fair reflection of how these fixtures tend to play out.

TIP 03✓ Hit

Both Teams to Score: Yes

A 60% BTTS rate across the head-to-head, and Atletico's willingness to go toe-to-toe on the counter at Anfield in recent visits, make the case for both teams scoring again here.

TIP 04✗ Miss

Anytime Goalscorer: A. Isak

With Ekitike and Chiesa both ruled out, Isak looks set to lead the line as Liverpool's central attacking focus, and a player in that role against a defence that has previously shipped goals at Anfield is a sensible way into the goalscorer market.

TIP 05✓ Hit

Double Chance: Home or Draw

For those wanting a lower-risk route into the home advantage without needing Liverpool to actually win, Home or Draw at 1.29 offers some cover given how tightly contested these two have made previous meetings.

Build the Liverpool v Atletico Madrid bet

BetFootball Builder · 3 Legs✓ Hit
Home Win
✓ Hit
Match Result
3/4

The anchor leg. Liverpool at home with the head-to-head record in their favour is the strongest single conviction in this preview, and it underpins the rest of the builder.

Yes
✓ Hit
Both Teams to Score
1/2

Complements the home win without depending on a specific margin, and the 60% BTTS rate across these five meetings supports pairing it with the result rather than backing a clean sheet.

Over
✓ Hit
Over 2.5 Goals
1/2

The third leg leans on the same open, end-to-end tendency as the BTTS pick - expect a game that produces plenty of corners and shots too, not just goals, given how these two have gone at each other before.

Combined Price
47/16
Stake£10.00
Returns£39.38
Profit+£29.38