Will Liverpool secure an early AF ticket?

The “Group of Death B” of this year’s UEFA Champions League is degenerating into a three-tiered society after the first three matchdays in the group stage. Already on matchday four, Liverpool against Atletico Madrid could also mathematically fix their ticket to the last 16.

The Klopp eleven dominated the group with three wins and already has a five-point lead over the Rojiblancos, who are fighting for the second place in the last 16 with FC Porto, who are level on points. Italian Champions League returnees AC Milan are currently bottom of the group. With a home win, Liverpool would not only keep their clean slate, but would also have booked their place in the knockout phase.

The home side will be under little pressure at Anfield Road, but Atletico Madrid will have to be careful not to fall behind in their long-distance battle with Porto. The bookmakers are clearly leaning in the direction of the home side, with odds of under 1.70 being offered for Liverpool to win at home against Atletico Madrid.

Liverpool – Statistics & current form

Jürgen Klopp’s Reds have yet to experience the feeling of defeat this season. Liverpool have now played 15 games across the competition, celebrating 11 wins and only having to settle for a draw on four occasions.

However, after winning their last two league games 5-0, the dress rehearsal for the Atletico game was disappointing, with Liverpool having to settle for a draw despite leading 2-0 against Brighton. As a result, the gap to leaders Chelsea is now three points after ten rounds in the Premier League.

Only lost two CL home games under Klopp

Now the focus is on the top flight and here the Klopp eleven has a great opportunity to secure an early ticket to the last 16, but a home win is a prerequisite for this. The chances can be considered very good, because in 22 CL home games under Jürgen Klopp, there have been 15 wins, five draws and only two defeats. However, Liverpool suffered one of these two defeats against Atletico Madrid in the 2019/20 season.

This once again confirmed the statistic that LaLiga opponents are something of a red rag for the Reds. Out of 13 home games in the top flight, Liverpool have only won twice against Spanish sides. Their last success, a 4-0 win over Barcelona in May 2019, was one of the biggest victories in recent Reds history.

Salah the outstanding man

In the home game against the Rojiblancos, 29-year-old Egyptian Mohamed Salah could make history once again. So far, the right-winger has scored 15 times in 13 competitive appearances and also provided six assists. For “Kloppo”, the Egyptian is currently the best player in the world; if he scores on Wednesday, it will be his 14th CL home goal and he would equal club icon Steven Gerrard. For Liverpool against Atletico Madrid, odds of 1.80-1.85 are offered on Salah to score – definitely a bet with potential given his over-form.

Predicted line-up of Liverpool:
Alisson – Robertson, van Dijk, Matip, Alexander-Arnold – Keita, Fabinho, Henderson – Mane, Firmino, Salah

Last matches played by Liverpool:

Premier League
10/30 2021 – Liverpool FC 2 – 2 Brighton

Carabao Cup
10/27 2021 – Preston 0 – 2 Liverpool FC

Premier League
10/24 2021 – Manchester United 0 – 5 Liverpool FC

Champions League Grp. B
10/19 2021 – Atletico Madrid 2 – 3 Liverpool FC

Premier League
10/16 2021 – Watford 0 – 5 Liverpool FC

Atletico Madrid – Statistics & current form

While the Reds stumbled in their dress rehearsal, Atletico Madrid were able to put a real exclamation mark on their performance. On Sunday afternoon, the home match against Real Betis Sevilla was on the agenda, which the Simeone eleven won with a commanding 3-0 victory. The Andalusians had previously been in excellent form (15 points in six games), but were completely without a chance against the Colchoneros at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.

Rojiblancos with staying power

After two 2-2 draws, Atletico Madrid set the course for victory early on. Internationally, on the other hand, the Rojiblancos are a specialist in late goals, which is confirmed in particular by a look at their recent away games. Seven of the last nine CL away goals have been scored by Atletico Madrid from minute 84 onwards.

Griezmann advances to become a key player
The Spanish champions will continue to be without Marcos Llorente as well as Thomas Lemar on the island due to injury. Diego Simeone has already missed the duo in recent weeks. On the other hand, the 30-year-old returnee Antoine Griezmann has shown a clear upward trend in recent weeks. He is playing an increasingly important role for the Rojiblancos and has contributed four goals and one assist in the last four games. Diego Simeone was also full of praise for his star newcomer after the 3-0 win and also praised his hard work against the ball.

His rising form curve is seen as a glimmer of hope to make it back to Anfield Road. Atletico’s memories of the motherland of football are thoroughly positive, with Atletico Madrid losing only one of their last six visiting games on the island. Odds of over 2.00 are offered on the double chance X2 between Liverpool and Atletico Madrid.

Predicted line-up of Atletico Madrid:
Oblak – Hermoso, Gimenez, Savic – Carrasco, de Paul, Koke, Trippier – Correa, Griezmann – Suarez

Last matches played by Atletico Madrid:

LaLiga
10/31 2021 – Atletico Madrid 3 – 0 Real Betis

10/28 2021 – Levante 2 – 2 Atletico Madrid

10/24 2021 – Atletico Madrid 2 – 2 San Sebastian

Champions League Grp. B
10/19 2021 – Atletico Madrid 2 – 3 Liverpool FC

LaLiga
10/02 2021 – Atletico Madrid 2 – 0 Barcelona

Liverpool – Atletico Madrid Direct comparison / H2H balance

In the first leg a fortnight ago, Egyptian Mohamed Salah once again underlined his outstanding form. He led the Reds to their first ever win against Diego Simeone’s Colchoneros at the Wanda Metropolitano. In the four games before, Liverpool had two draws and two defeats. This also means that Atletico Madrid have never lost at Anfield Road before.

Liverpool – Atletico Madrid Tip

With an intense time ahead to close out 2021, the Reds would be happy to have their Round of 16 ticket in the bag early. Accordingly, the Klopp eleven will certainly not fire up a rotation machine on Wednesday evening despite the comfortable situation. The strong performances and results certainly justify the role of favourites, but betting on a home win for Liverpool against Atletico Madrid is not particularly lucrative.

There are plenty of interesting betting opportunities, however, because Atletico Madrid, for example, have lost some of their incredible defensive strength this season and so there are a relatively large number of goals to be seen. The over 2.5 is accordingly a good option. The best choice for Liverpool against Atletico Madrid seems to be the prediction on a late goal – from minute 76. An intense, tight game with a heated final phase is to be expected. Atletico is known for late goals anyway and 2 odds are very interesting accordingly.