Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid: Tips, Odds, and Match Preview

Liverpool are one of the biggest candidates to go all the way in the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League, and the Reds will open their campaign at home against an Atletico Madrid side that has looked a bit out of sorts to open the new season. The Reds are looking to put the memory of a disappointing 2024-25 UEFA Champions League campaign in the rear view in a game where they open as overwhelming favorites.

Atletico Madrid aren’t used to being underdogs in most matches, but that’s precisely what will happen here. Diego Simeone’s men haven’t been able to play at their usual standards to begin the season, and even though a win over Villarreal the last time out was a solid confidence booster, they haven’t looked good enough to compete against a side like Liverpool.

Reds Looking to Keep Perfect Run Alive

Arne Slot faced considerable criticism in the early stages of the 2025-26 season, following the wins over Bournemouth (4-2) and Newcastle United (3-2), due to the team's defensive play. However, the Reds have put those negative comments to rest and have bounced back admirably with back-to-back clean sheets against Arsenal and Burnley.

There’s a lot of fine-tuning to do at Liverpool, but the team is undoubtedly trending in the right direction. Given that they already found a way to ease past the challenge of teams such as Arsenal and Newcastle at the beginning of the Premier League campaign, it’s clear that the Reds are on the upswing. Once the new signings integrate and reach their top form, this Liverpool team will be increasingly hard to handle. They’re already showing signs of what they can become on defence after posting back-to-back clean sheets, with the performance against Arsenal being particularly noteworthy.

Liverpool Injury & Suspension News

Alexander Isak isn’t expected to be available for Liverpool due to his lack of match fitness, as the Swede didn’t participate in the preseason with Newcastle United and is not ready to play a competitive fixture yet.

Stefan Bajcetic (hamstring), Curtis Jones (undisclosed), Luke Chambers (back), Callum Scanlon (hamstring) and Federico Chiesa (not in UCL squad) are also out for this match.

Diego Simeone Feeling the Heat of a Slow Start?

If things are trending in the right direction for Liverpool, then it’s safe to say that Atletico Madrid are going through the opposite. Even though Los Colchoneros are coming off a 2-0 win over Villarreal the last time out, a decent result in its own right given the strong start El Submarino Amarillo had enjoyed in 2025-26, it’s not enough to satisfy the Colchoneros’ fans.

That’s mainly because the win over Villarreal was the team’s first win of the campaign. Previously, Atletico had recorded a subpar D2, L1 record in LaLiga while conceding goals in each of their first three matches against Elche, Alaves and Espanyol. For a team that has based its recent success on its defensive play, this hasn’t been its usual standard. And struggling defensively isn’t a recipe for success when travelling to Anfield Road.

Atletico Madrid Injury & Suspension News

As if the defensive issues Atletico Madrid have evidenced in the early stages of the 2025-26 haven’t been enough, the team will also look depleted in terms of defensive depth.

David Hancko and Robin Le Normand could be sidelined due to muscular injuries, while creative threats Alex Baena and Thiago Almada have already been ruled out. The same goes for Uruguay defender Jose Maria Gimenez.

Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid Prediction

Liverpool should dominate the possession in this contest and are likely to have full control of the tempo from the beginning of the match. Atletico Madrid will probably have to adopt a more defensive stance in a game where they could easily look overmatched, and Liverpool should eventually find a way to get the three points. Their attacking talent will be too much to handle for a struggling Atletico Madrid defence.

CryptoGamba tip: Liverpool to win – 1.58 @ JackBit