Atletico Madrid vs Liverpool

Atletico Madrid and Liverpool are set to battle it out for supremacy in the UEFA Champions League Group A at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano.

Atletico Madrid followed up an uneventful scoreless home draw with Porto in their Group B curtain-raiser with a stunning 2-1 comeback win at AC Milan last time out. But, ‘Los Rojiblancos’ are winless in four consecutive Champions League fixtures at Wanda Metropolitano (D3, L1), their joint-longest run without a home victory in the competition, netting just once in that sequence. Atletico’s Champions League action usually sparks into life late, as four (57.14%) of their last seven goals scored in the competition have come beyond the 80th minute, including the last three on the trot. But they’ve turned Wanda Metropolitano into a fortress this season, going unbeaten in all five competitive matches here (W2, D3), four of which yielded a clean sheet. Additionally, they haven’t lost any of their three European H2Hs on home turf (W2, D1), conceding just one goal across those meetings.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have gone from strength to strength in Europe this season, beating Milan 3-2 at home in their Group B opener before hammering Porto 5-1 on the road last time out. Delivering action from the onset, Jurgen Klopp’s men have opened the scoring within 20 minutes in both Champions League outings this term, going on to net precisely two first-half goals on each occasion. What’s more, the ‘Reds’ haven’t lost any of their last six away matches in the Champions League group stage (W5, D1), returning a resounding +15 goal difference from that spread of games (GF:18, GA:3). Against this backdrop, the Premier League heavyweights have suffered six defeats in seven Champions League visits to Spain (D1) since outplaying Real Madrid in the 2008/09 Champions League last-16.