Liverpool will commence their UEFA Champions League league phase campaign by hosting Atletico Madrid at Anfield. This fixture marks the first time Andoni Iraola will manage in the competition, having taken charge of Liverpool over the summer.
The match is scheduled for Wednesday, September 9, with kick-off at 20:00 UK time. Live coverage will begin at 19:00 on TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate, and HBO Max.
Head-to-Head Record and European History
The two clubs have previously met nine times, with Liverpool securing four victories and Atletico Madrid winning three. Of the five encounters at Anfield, Liverpool has won three. The Reds have also won their last three matches against Atletico, including one in Madrid and two at Anfield.
Liverpool has kept only one clean sheet in their nine games against Atletico, which occurred during a 2-0 victory at Anfield in November 2021. The teams also faced each other at Anfield on matchday one of last season’s Champions League league phase, where Virgil van Dijk scored a stoppage-time winner in a 3-2 win for Liverpool.
This season marks Liverpool‘s 51st season in European football and their 30th in the European Cup/Champions League. This is also the third season of the expanded Champions League league phase. Liverpool won of their league-phase fixtures across the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons.
The Reds lost both legs of last season’s quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain. They have not experienced three consecutive European defeats since the 2014-15 Champions League campaign. Liverpool aims to avoid a second successive home defeat in Europe, a situation last seen in 2009-10 when they lost to Olympique Lyonnais and Fiorentina.
None of Liverpool‘s last European outings have resulted in a draw, with 29 wins and 14 defeats. Their last draw was a 3-3 match against Benfica at Anfield in April 2022. Additionally, none of the Reds’ last 81 Champions League group stage/league phase games have ended goalless since a draw at PSV Eindhoven in 2006-07. Liverpool has won of their last Champions League group stage/league phase fixtures at Anfield, losing only one.
Iraola’s Debut and Team Form
This match will be Andoni Iraola‘s first as a manager in the Champions League. He previously coached AEK Larnaca in 12 Europa League fixtures during the 2018-19 season. As a player, Iraola faced Atletico Madrid 24 times with Athletic Club. While in charge of Rayo Vallecano, he drew one and lost three of his encounters with Atletico.
Liverpool has had a mixed start to their Premier League season under Iraola, remaining unbeaten but dropping points against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest in their initial three games. Atletico Madrid, their opponents, have accumulated seven points from four La Liga matches.
This will be the seventh consecutive season that Liverpool has faced a team from Madrid in the Champions League. It will also be Liverpool’s 58th match against a Spanish opponent, marking the highest number of games they have played against teams from a single nation in European competition. Liverpool has won of these encounters. Despite this extensive history, no Liverpool player has scored a European hat-trick against a Spanish opponent.
The match will be available for viewing on TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate, and HBO Max, with coverage starting at 19:00 UK time on Wednesday, September 9.
Source: liverpoolfc.com
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