​Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid – Match preview and team newsLiverpool begin their 2026-27 Champions League campaign at home to Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, a repeat of last year’s opening League Phase fixture, which the Reds won 3-2 courtesy of a stoppage-time Virgil van Dijk header. Andoni Iraola takes charge of his first Champions League match since succeeding Arne Slot, hoping to build on Liverpool’s first win of the season. Liverpool’s start under Iraola has been mixed, with back-to-back 2-2 draws against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest preceding Friday’s 2-0 win at Ipswich Town, in which Alexander Isak scored twice inside the opening nine minutes. New £123m signing Bradley Barcola, a two-time Champions League winner with Paris Saint-Germain, is in line for his first Liverpool start. Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, arrive on the back of a 3-0 defeat at Athletic Bilbao that ended their unbeaten start to the La Liga season, a result Diego Simeone described as “a real wake-up call.”Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid – Match preview and team newsDate: Wednesday, 9 September 2026Kick-off: 20:00 BSTVenue: AnfieldReferee: Davide Massa (ITA)Last meeting: Liverpool 3-2 Atletico Madrid, 17 September 2025, Champions League (League Phase)Team newsLiverpoolFederico Chiesa and Wataru Endo have been left out of Liverpool’s Champions League squad entirely, while Hugo Ekitike (Achilles), Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni (both knee) remain sidelined through injury. Joe Gomez is also a doubt with a muscle issue, meaning Virgil van Dijk and Jeremy Jacquet are set to continue as the first-choice centre-back pairing. New signing Bradley Barcola is in contention to make his full debut on the wing, potentially at the expense of Victor Munoz, with Cody Gakpo and Florian Wirtz also expected to start further forward.Atletico MadridAlexander Sorloth is expected to miss out with a thigh injury, and Arnau Ortiz remains suspended following a red card picked up on loan at Slask Wroclaw in August 2024. Diego Simeone faces a decision over Julian Alvarez, who could return to the starting XI after coming off the bench against Athletic Bilbao, with new signing Jonathan David also in contention to lead the line. Cristian Romero is hoping to make his full Atletico debut at centre-back, while club captain Koke could come into midfield in place of Morten Hjulmand or Pablo Barrios.FormLiverpoolLiverpool have scored in each of their last nine competitive matches, netting at least twice in six of those games, since their Champions League exit to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain in April. Andoni Iraola’s side drew their opening two Premier League fixtures before finally winning at Ipswich last time out, and they have also won their last six League Phase meetings with Spanish opposition. Liverpool have kept four clean sheets in their last five games against Spanish sides in the competition.Atletico MadridAtletico Madrid’s unbeaten start to the season ended with Sat