Atletico Madrid are expected to be without two forwards for Wednesday night’s Champions League opener against Liverpool at Anfield.
Diego Simeone’s side return to Merseyside exactly 12 months after a dramatic 3-2 defeat in which Virgil van Dijk scored a stoppage-time winner. This time they face a Liverpool side managed by Andoni Iraola, who will be taking charge of a Champions League match for the first time.
Key absences for Atletico
According to Marca, Alexander Sørloth is still recovering from injury and is not expected to be fit in time for the trip to Anfield.
Arnau Ortiz is definitely unavailable. The forward is serving a suspension carried over from a Conference League match two years ago, when he was sent off while playing for Śląsk Wrocław against St Gallen. He has not featured in a European fixture since.
Atletico still carry a threat
Despite those absences, Simeone retains several dangerous options. Giuliano Simeone offers a threat from the right, while Álex Baena has already scored three goals in four matches this season on the opposite flank. Marcos Llorente, meanwhile, has a strong record at Anfield, scoring twice on both of his previous visits.
Atletico’s domestic form has been mixed: seven points from four games, capped by a 3-0 defeat away to Athletic Club on Saturday.
Liverpool situation
Liverpool begin their European campaign in positive form after Friday’s win at Ipswich, though they will also be without Hugo Ekitiké and Federico Chiesa through injury.
This will be the sixth Champions League meeting between the two clubs this decade. Liverpool will be confident of repeating last September’s result and building on their strong start to the season.
