Atletico Madrid vs Liverpool
Liverpool have experienced their share of Champions League success and failure at the Wanda Metropolitano over the last few years. They were crowned European champions at the stadium two years ago with their victory over Tottenham. But their title defence the following season ended at the hands of Atletico Madrid, who defeated them at the stadium.
The Reds, who are off to a fantastic start this season in both the Premier League and the Champions League, will now be out for revenge as they take on the Spanish champions in Group B.
Luis Suarez will be in fine form as he gets set to face his old club, but the Champions League 2021 betting odds still like Liverpool’s chances of picking up another win at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Talking Points
Suarez, Atleti well-rested after weekend postponement
Atletico Madrid will have the advantage of being fresh and well-rested for this big Champions League matchup after their weekend La Liga match against Granada was postponed due to the South American World Cup qualifiers.
Atleti were last seen beating Barcelona 2-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano thanks to first-half goals from Thomas Lemar and Luis Suarez.
Suarez, a former Liverpool favourite, is finally regaining his goalscoring form after a slow start to the season. He has scored four goals in his last four games for Atleti, which includes a late penalty to snatch a 2-1 win against AC Milan in their last Champions League match. Suarez also scored a goal in three matches for Uruguay in the recent World Cup qualifiers.
Antoine Griezmann, who got his first goal of the season in the Milan match, is expected to help create Champions League 2021 highlights with Suarez up front, with Joao Felix and Angel Correa likely starting on the bench.
Atleti coach Diego Simeone does not have any significant injury concerns at the moment, which means he will likely pick his preferred 3-5-2 formation against Liverpool. Marcos Llorente, who was the hero in Atleti’s two-legged triumph over Liverpool in 2019-20, will likely get the not at right wing-back over Englishman Kieran Trippier.
Reds keep racking up the goals
Liverpool are completely locked in at the moment. The second-placed Reds remain hot on Premier League leaders Chelsea’s heels as they smashed Watford 5-0 on the weekend.
The prolific front three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Roberto Firmino all got on the scoresheet, with the Brazilian Firmino bagging a hat-trick.
The Reds have now scored a sensational 22 goals in their first eight league games and have added eight goals in two Champions League matches. They have been particularly prolific away from home, where they have scored at least three goals in all six of their away matches in all competitions this season, and five goals in their last two.
Jurgen Klopp will also be pleased they kept a clean sheet for the first time in four matches despite missing their Brazilian duo of Alisson and Fabinho, who were on international duty. But the two will be back for their big trip to Madrid, which will be a huge boost to Liverpool’s backline.
Klopp also had the luxury of giving star full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson an early rest against Watford, so they should be fresh against Atleti.
Liverpool do have a few injuries to deal with in Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones, and Thiago. It remains to be seen whether Jones or Thiago will be fit in time for the Atleti clash, but Jota looks like he will be available. The Portuguese has an impressive record of four goals in 11 Champions League appearances for the Reds.
History
This will be the seventh all-time meeting between Atletico Madrid and Liverpool. They first faced off in the Champions League group stage in 2008, where they drew both games 1-1.
Atleti have since gotten the better of their English foes. First, they knocked the Reds out in the semis of the Europa League in 2010, winning both legs.
And they did it again in 2020 in the Champions League round of 16. After Atleti won the first leg in Madrid 1-0, Liverpool won 1-0 to force extra time at Anfield. However, a Marcos Llorente brace in extra time saw Atleti through to the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, Luis Suarez – who scored 82 goals in 133 games for Liverpool – will face the Reds for the first time since suffering a stunning 4-0 defeat with Barcelona in the 2019 semi-finals.
Betting Tip
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Atletico Madrid vs Liverpool | 1X2 Liverpool @ 2.28 |
| October 20, 03:00 (GMT+8) |
SBOTOP odds have Liverpool installed as the 2.28 away favourites over Atletico Madrid, who are priced at 3.10 despite being at home. A draw is at 3.20.
Given their impressive form of late, it should come as little surprise that Liverpool are favoured over Atleti away from home. The Reds have been one of the best teams in Europe to start the season and are scoring goals for fun. Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid have been less than convincing, particularly in the Champions League, and remain highly reliant on Suarez to score their goals.
While Atletico will play their usual defensive style and try to limit Liverpool’s prolific attack as much as possible, the Reds should still have enough to come out on top at the Wanda Metropolitano.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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