Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid

Liverpool have never lost their opening game of a European Cup/UEFA Champions League campaign when playing at home, with tonight being their 10th win from 12 home openers (D2).

Following tonight’s victory, Liverpool are now the only team to have beaten Atlético Madrid in three consecutive European Cup/UEFA Champions League meetings (3-2 and 2-0 in 2021-22, 3-2 tonight).

Since winning both legs against Liverpool in the last 16 in 2019-20 (1-0 at home, 3-2 away), Atlético Madrid have only managed one victory in their last nine games against English sides in the UEFA Champions League (D2 L6 – the win coming at Manchester United in March 2022).

Liverpool failed to win each of their first four UEFA Champions League games against Atlético Madrid between 2008 and 2020 (D2 L2), but won home and away against them in the last campaign when they faced (2021-22 in the group stage).

Since eliminating Liverpool from the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League with wins home and away in the last 16 (4-2 on aggregate), Atlético Madrid have only won one of their last eight matches against English sides in the competition (D2 L5), winning 1-0 at Manchester United in March 2022.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has faced Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid on two previous occasions in Europe, losing home (1-3) and away (2-3) against them in the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League group stage. Despite conceding six goals and scoring just three, Slot’s Feyenoord had a higher xG (3.6 – 2.1) and more shots (29 – 16) across the two meetings combined.

Atlético Madrid have only lost one of their last 10 opening games of a UEFA Champions League campaign (W5 D4), with that lone defeat coming away to Bayern Munich in October 2020 (4-0 to the German side).

Atlético Madrid have kept a clean sheet in 42% of their UEFA Champions League matches under Diego Simeone (48/115); the highest percentage for any Spanish team to play 50+ games under a specific manager, ahead of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona (40% - 20/50).