Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid predictions, H2H and match preview for this Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League last 16, 2nd Leg match at Anfield. Read on for analysis and predicted line-ups as Atleti target a place in the last eight.
by Mark Sochon – @marksoc1
Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid Preview
All eyes will be on Anfield this Wednesday evening ahead of a perfectly poised Champions League 2nd Leg clash between Liverpool and Atletico Madrid. The Spaniards lead 1-0 after their best performance of the season in the 1st Leg at the Wanda Metropolitano three weeks ago but they still have plenty of work to do to finish the job against the Premier League leaders.
Nobody realistically gave Atleti a chance heading into this tie. However football can be a strange business. Despite few surviving remnants of the sides that reached two Champions League Finals in the space of three years in the mid 2010’s, this new-look Atleti finally played like the old one in the 1st Leg. They produced a classic Simeone performance to nullify Liverpool’s attacking threat and truly seize the initiative in this tie.
That result also seems to have had a really detrimental effect on a Liverpool side that looked almost unstoppable heading into the 1st Leg. Their unbeaten Premier League record has since gone, in humiliating fashion too as they crashed to a 3-0 defeat at Watford. They’ve also been knocked out of the FA Cup by Chelsea and perhaps most significantly of all, they have conceded a total of 8 goals in their 4 games since the 1st Leg.
The Reds haven’t kept a clean sheet since their trip to the Premier League’s bottom club Norwich in mid February and that can only give Atleti real hope of grabbing what would be an absolutely priceless away goal.
Their chances of doing just that are further helped by the expected absence of Alisson which will see the unconvincing Adrian start in goal for Liverpool. Andrew Robertson and Jordan Henderson are also doubts for the defending champions.
Atleti are in better shape fitness-wise than they were three weeks ago but are monitoring Alvaro Morata and Renan Lodi, who are both carrying knocks.
Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid Predictions
Score Prediction: 2-1 Liverpool
If there’s a good time to be catching Liverpool, this is surely it. Jurgen Klopp’s side have been outstanding for most of the season but they quite clearly are a bit out of sorts right now. The likely change in goal and sudden sense of defensive uncertainty, suggests Atleti may well get the away goal that would most likely see them through.
UEFA Champions League Last 16 Betting Tips (18+)
You can view our Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid betting tips plus those for the other European games involving Spanish sides this week by signing up to follow our ‘all competitions’ portfolio on Tipstrr (free).
Please note, that we don’t guarantee any long-term gains if you’re backing our tips. Only bet what you can afford to lose. See BeGambleAware for more on responsible gambling.
Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid H2H
- Saul’s goal sealed a 1-0 win for Atleti in the 1st Leg.
- They hadn’t previously met competitively since Diego Simeone took charge of Atleti in 2011 and Simeone had never met Klopp in a competitive setting before.
- Prior to this season, the clubs last met competitively in the 2009/10 Europa League with Atleti progressing on away goals thanks to Diego Forlan’s Extra Time strike at Anfield.
- The previous Champions League meetings came in the 2008/09 group stages and both ended 1-1.
Predicted Line Ups
Liverpool Team:
Adrian – Robertson, Van Dijk, Gomez, Alexander-Arnold – Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Henderson – Mane, Firmino, Salah (4-3-3)
Atleti Team:
Oblak – Lodi, Gimenez, Savic, Trippier – Koke, Llorente, Thomas, Saul – Morata, Felix (4-4-2)
We have match previews and predictions for all European games involving Spanish teams this week.
Latest from our La Liga Blog
[recent_post_carousel category=”38″ show_content=”true” show_author=”false” show_date=”true” show_category_name=”false” limit=”8″]
Anfield image by Ruaraidh Gillies – The revamped Main Stand Anfield, CC BY-SA 2.0
Be the first to comment