Preview: Liverpool host Atletico in Champions League openerSharePremier League leaders Liverpool host Atlético Madrid in the Champions League as the League Phase of Europe’s premier club competition finally gets underway. By Sam McGuireThe story so farThe Reds extended their perfect start in the English top-flight on Sunday to four. Liverpool eked out a 1-0 win over Burnley to make it 12 points from a possible 12, all while ensuring their advantage at the summit remained at three points. They did, however, leave it late with Mohamed Salah netting a 95th minute winner from the penalty spot. In all four games this term, the champions have scored the winner in the final 10 minutes. The mentality monsters just keep finding ways to get over the line. Arne Slot’s side are joint top for goals scored and have now kept back-to-back clean sheets. Atlético, meanwhile, have gotten off to a sluggish start in LaLiga. Diego Simeone’s side are 11th in the Spanish top-flight with just one win to their name across their four matches so far. That arrived in their last outing against Villarreal.They’re finding goals hard to come by and rank ninth for xG. Defensively, things aren’t great either with one clean sheet and an Expected Goals Conceded total of 3.8.Recent form Results wise, Liverpool are perfect. They claimed a 4-2 win over Bournemouth, beat Newcastle 3-2 and then ran out 1-0 winners over Arsenal and Burnley. Things haven’t been pretty for the Premier League champions but they’re getting the job done while bedding in new players and a new system. Atlético kicked off their campaign with a surprise loss to Espanyol. They then followed that up with draws against Deportivo Alavés and Elche before finally getting their first win of the season on the board versus Villarreal. However, that did come at a cost. Dávid Hancko, Nico González and Julián Alvarez all picked up knocks in the game and are considered doubts for the clash at Anfield.Key Players For the Reds, Dominik Szoboszlai is in the form of his career and is currently the man to stop. He may not have scored against Burnley but despite starting at right-back, he finished with a match high six shots. He was pinging passes and looking to make something happen in the final third. His power, matched by his confidence, could cause the LaLiga side a lot of problems.Atlético could be without a number of key names, such as Alvarez and Thiago Almada, so the one to watch might, once again, be Antoine Griezmann. He’s without a goal this season but did score two when the two sides faced off in the Champions League in 2021. It is worth mentioning here that he was also sent off in that clash. Team NewsThe Reds are without Curtis Jones but otherwise have a fully fit squad for Slot to pick from. However, the Dutchman has some difficult decisions to make. With Conor Bradley playing 45 minutes against Burnley, he might be able to start against the Spanish side on Wednesday. But Liverpool have to manage Jeremie Frimpong’s return from a hamstring issue while Alexander Isak is in the midst of his own pre-season, so may or may not make the squad. Federico Chiesa misses the game altogether having not made the cut for the European squad. Atlético are sweating on the fitness of a host of players including Alvarez, Almada, González, Hancko and José Giménez. Álex Baena definitely misses out though with a muscle injury. Prediction A 2-1 win for the hosts. Atlético are riddled with injuries, doubts and are out of form. Liverpool keep finding ways to win and this should continue on Wednesday night. (Cover image from IMAGO)You can follow every game from the Champions League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.Preview: Liverpool host Atletico in Champions League openerPremier League leaders Liverpool host Atlético Madrid in the Champions League as the League Phase of Europe’s premier club competition finally gets underway. By Sam McGuireThe story so farThe Reds extended their perfect start in the English top-flight on Sunday to four. Liverpool eked out a 1-0 win over Burnley to make it 12 points from a possible 12, all while ensuring their advantage at the summit remained at three points. They did, however, leave it late with Mohamed Salah netting a 95th minute winner from the penalty spot. In all four games this term, the champions have scored the winner in the final 10 minutes. The mentality monsters just keep finding ways to get over the line. Arne Slot’s side are joint top for goals scored and have now kept back-to-back clean sheets. Atlético, meanwhile, have gotten off to a sluggish start in LaLiga. Diego Simeone’s side are 11th in the Spanish top-flight with just one win to their name across their four matches so far. That arrived in their last outing against Villarreal.They’re finding goals hard to come by and rank ninth for xG. Defensively, things aren’t great either with one clean sheet and an Expected Goals Conceded total of 3.8.Recent form Results wise, Liverpool are perfect. They claimed a 4-2 win over Bournemouth, beat Newcastle 3-2 and then ran out 1-0 winners over Arsenal and Burnley. Things haven’t been pretty for the Premier League champions but they’re getting the job done while bedding in new players and a new system. Atlético kicked off their campaign with a surprise loss to Espanyol. They then followed that up with draws against Deportivo Alavés and Elche before finally getting their first win of the season on the board versus Villarreal. However, that did come at a cost. Dávid Hancko, Nico González and Julián Alvarez all picked up knocks in the game and are considered doubts for the clash at Anfield.Key Players For the Reds, Dominik Szoboszlai is in the form of his career and is currently the man to stop. He may not have scored against Burnley but despite starting at right-back, he finished with a match high six shots. He was pinging passes and looking to make something happen in the final third. His power, matched by his confidence, could cause the LaLiga side a lot of problems.Atlético could be without a number of key names, such as Alvarez and Thiago Almada, so the one to watch might, once again, be Antoine Griezmann. He’s without a goal this season but did score two when the two sides faced off in the Champions League in 2021. It is worth mentioning here that he was also sent off in that clash. Team NewsThe Reds are without Curtis Jones but otherwise have a fully fit squad for Slot to pick from. However, the Dutchman has some difficult decisions to make. With Conor Bradley playing 45 minutes against Burnley, he might be able to start against the Spanish side on Wednesday. But Liverpool have to manage Jeremie Frimpong’s return from a hamstring issue while Alexander Isak is in the midst of his own pre-season, so may or may not make the squad. Federico Chiesa misses the game altogether having not made the cut for the European squad. Atlético are sweating on the fitness of a host of players including Alvarez, Almada, González, Hancko and José Giménez. Álex Baena definitely misses out though with a muscle injury. Prediction A 2-1 win for the hosts. Atlético are riddled with injuries, doubts and are out of form. Liverpool keep finding ways to win and this should continue on Wednesday night. (Cover image from IMAGO)You can follow every game from the Champions League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.