Liverpool v Atlético Madrid: European Nights return to Anfield

European nights at Anfield are back. Andoni Iraola’s 1st European night in this storied competition kicks off tonight in Merseyside as Liverpool look to begin their Champions League campaign on the right foot with a win at home.

Where Liverpool are

Liverpool are still growing into the new manager and the tactics that he demands out of the players such as the relentless pressing and energy while having a notion to keep the front foot forward and attack the opposition so that they are never able to get into a shape or formation that can impact the pressing nature of Liverpool. I believe that this is a game where Liverpool will be forced to be more defensive minded in the sense that the quality of players in the opposition can hurt us more than what a mid-table Prem team might be able to do.

Atlético

Fueled by a change in ownership and the Julián Álvarez saga this summer during the World Cup, it is a surprisingly tumultuous time over at Atlético Madrid as they look to seek some balance this Wednesday night when they take on Liverpool. This is a team who made the Champions League semi-final a year ago and went toe to toe with Arsenal before losing in the second leg away from home. They have most recently lost 3-0 to Athletic Club in a La Liga matchup. I anticipate a much more lively and put-together performance from Madrid tonight when they take on Liverpool.

The matchup

The hope is that Liverpool does not change much from their formation that they started on Friday against Ipswich Town. I want Bradley Barcola to earn around 60 minutes of time to display his talent and give Anfield some joy to cheer for. This match comes in a stretch of 4 games in 12 days for Liverpool, and the key to this stretch is getting off to a hot start at home.

Prediction

2-1 Atleti, I think Liverpool will struggle to keep up with the intensity that Madrid brings and that ends up being the deciding factor in a close loss to Madrid in this first European night.