Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid: UEFA Champions League – start, team, lineups

Who: Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid
What: UEFA Champions League
Where: Anfield, Liverpool, United Kingdom
When: Wednesday, September 17 at 9pm (19:00 GMT)

How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 6pm (16:00 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream.

UEFA Champions League openers don’t come much bigger than mega club Liverpool pitted against Spain’s powerhouse outfit, Atletico Madrid.

The reigning English Premier League champions, who have started their new domestic campaign with a perfect 4-0 record, will be looking to avenge their disappointing round-of-16 exit from last season’s Champions League, where they lost a heartbreaking penalty shootout to eventual title-winners PSG.

Atletico, who finished a strong third position in last season’s La Liga behind Barcelona and Real Madrid, are the only team in history to reach three Champions League finals without having won the trophy – a record they want to put to rest by going one better this season.

Here is all to know about the matchday 1 fixture:

Will Alexander Isak debut for Liverpool against Atletico?

Liverpool fans were denied the chance to watch British record signing Alexander Isak in action as he was left out of the match-day squad for Sunday’s 1-0 victory at Burnley, but manager Arne Slot said they will not have to wait long.

Slot confirmed the Swedish forward, signed on deadline day for 125 million pounds ($169.45m) from Newcastle United, was still not up to speed after playing barely any minutes this season due to injury.

But the Dutchman hinted he is likely to play some part against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

“Alex is far from ready for that schedule of three games in a week,” Slot told reporters after his side’s last-gasp Premier League victory at Turf Moor, secured by a Mohamed Salah penalty.

“So now he will be able either Wednesday [against Atletico] or Saturday to play 45 as a minimum, and maybe a little bit more. But if he plays 45 on Wednesday, don’t expect him to play 45 or more on Saturday because his body is not prepared for that.”

Isak’s only football action so far this season was a 20-minute cameo off the bench for Sweden, in a 2-0 defeat by Kosovo in a World Cup qualifier last week.

What’s wrong with Atletico this La Liga season?

The Madrid giants have struggled out of the gate in the current 2025-26 season and are currently 11th on the Spanish division one table.

Los Colchoneros lost their season-opener 2-1 to a vastly improved Espanyol side on August 17 and then suffered an embarrassing 1-1 home draw to newly relegated Elche.

Another draw followed at Alaves a week later, but Atletico’s season now appears to be turning around after a 2-0 defeat of Villareal on Sunday and the recent signing of talented Argentinian forward Nicolas Gonzalez, who scored a game-winning goal on debut.

When did Liverpool and Atletico last meet?

The sides last met on November 3, 2021, at Anfield, with Liverpool winning their return Champions League group stage fixture against Atletico Madrid 2-0.

The late Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane gave the hosts a two-goal cushion within the first 20 minutes of the contest.

When Atletico’s Felipe was sent off in the 36th minute for an errant tackle on Mane, the Reds held their advantage to the final whistle and secured a spot in the last-16 of the tournament.

When did Liverpool last win the UEFA Champions League?

Arne Slot’s side are aiming to win the competition for the first time since 2019.

Key Stats:

• Liverpool have won their last 14 home European group stage/league phase matches, scoring two or more goals in the last 13 and keeping nine clean sheets in the last 12.
• Salah has 18 goals in his last 20 group stage/league phase matches for the Reds.
• Atletico have won their last five league phase fixtures.

Team news: Liverpool

Isak may make his long-awaited Liverpool debut, but is unlikely to be in the starting XI.

Alexis Mac Allister, who only played a half game against Burnley after being on the receiving end of a crunching challenge from Lesley Ugochukwu, is a game-time decision as to whether he starts against Atletico.

England international Curtis Jones is out with an unspecified injury. Dominik Szoboszlai is most likely to move forward into Jones’s defensive midfield role with Jeremie Frimpong entering the starting XI.

Team news: Atletico Madrid

Atletico’s 2-0 win against Villareal on Saturday extracted a high toll on Diego Simeone’s squad, with no fewer than four players forced off with injury: Julian Alvarez, Gonzalez, Robin Le Normand and David Hancko.

While Alvarez, Gonzalez and Le Normand are probable inclusions in the starting XI, Hancko’s injury – a high-grade ankle sprain suffered just minutes after he entered the Villareal match as a substitute – makes his participation against Liverpool highly doubtful.

Jose Gimenez is also questionable with a calf strain before Wednesday’s fixture.

Alex Baena and Thiago Almada will not suit up against Liverpool.

Possible Lineups:

Liverpool: Alisson Becker (goalkeeper); Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike

Atletico Madrid: Oblak (goalkeeper); Llorente, Le Normand, Lenglet, Ruggeri; Barrios, Koke; Simeone, Griezmann, Gonzalez; Alvarez

Head-to-head:

Liverpool and Atletico Madrid have played each other six times, with each side winning twice.

• Liverpool – 2 wins
• Atletico Madrid – 2 wins
• Draws – 2

Last five matches (all competitions):

Liverpool: L-W-W-W-W (most recent result last)

Atletico Madrid: W-L-D-D-W

Source: Aljazeera