Liverpool begin their Champions League campaign with Atletico Madrid visiting Anfield in gameweek one of the league phase.
The Reds will have aspirations of reaching Madrid in next year’s final, eight years after their sixth European crown in a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at the Metropolitano. But after swapping in Andoni Iraola, a significant improvement is required after back-to-back champions Paris Saint-Germain dispatched them 4-0 on aggregate in the quarter-finals.
Bradley Barcola made his debut in the 2-0 win at Ipswich last week, following a £125m move from PSG, and Alexander Isak is up and running with a quick-fire double providing the inspiration for the victory.
Diego Simeone’s side lost in last year’s semi-finals to Arsenal in a tense tie, but the Julian Alvarez transfer saga has left a shadow over the beginning of their season after a move to Barcelona or Arsenal failed to materialise.
The two sides faced each other in the same fixture last term, with a 3-2 win for the Reds providing the foundation to advance straight to the last 16 with a top-eight finish. Follow all of the latest from the clash with our live blog below:
Liverpool v Atletico Madrid
Before kick-off a moment of silence is held in memory of the victims of the horrific flooding disaster in Nepal.
Flo Clifford9 September 2026 20:01
Liverpool v Atletico Madrid
The teams are out on the pitch, the Champions League anthem drowned out by boos…
Flo Clifford9 September 2026 19:59
Liverpool v Atletico Madrid
These two teams met at the same stage last season and it got off to an explosive start as Liverpool were 2-0 up after six minutes. But it was tighter at the end of the night – Liverpool needing an injury-time goal from Virgil van Dijk to win – and Atletico actually went further in the competition, reaching the semi-finals.
Richard Jolly9 September 2026 19:56
Team news reminder
Liverpool XI: Alisson, Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Barcola, Ngumoha, Wirtz, Isak
Atletico Madrid XI: Oblak, Llorente, Hancko, Romero, Pubil, Barios, Koke, Simeone, Baena, Alvarez, Lee
Flo Clifford9 September 2026 19:53
Liverpool v Atletico Madrid
Flo Clifford9 September 2026 19:48
Tonight’s fixtures
Elsewhere on a big night of Champions League action, Arsenal are away at Napoli; Sporting CP host Galatasaray, and PSG are at home to Slovan Bratislava.
You can follow live updates of Arsenal’s opener here.
Flo Clifford9 September 2026 19:42
Pre-match reading: PSG’s big Champions League advantage is also its biggest problem
Miguel Delaney posits that the insignificance of the Champions League’s league phase, as illustrated by PSG winning the title after finishing 15th and 11th in the group, reduces the top tier of European football to more ‘wallpaper’ content
PSG’s big Champions League advantage is also its biggest problem
The insignificance of the Champions League’s league phase, as illustrated by PSG winning the title after finishing 15th and 11th in the group, reduces the top tier of European football to more ‘wallpaper’ content. By Miguel DelaneyFlo Clifford9 September 2026 19:36
Liverpool v Atletico Madrid
Flo Clifford9 September 2026 19:28
Liverpool spent £670m under Richard Hughes and only got worse
It’s all change at Anfield with sporting director Richard Hughes departing. He won the Premier League with Arne Slot but his task of rebuilding Jurgen Klopp’s old team remains unfinished despite spending two-thirds of a billion, writes Richard Jolly:
Liverpool spent £670m under Richard Hughes and only got worse
Liverpool’s departing sporting director won the Premier League with Arne Slot but his task of rebuilding Jurgen Klopp’s old team remains unfinished despite spending two-thirds of a billion. By Richard JollyFlo Clifford9 September 2026 19:22
If Alexis Mac Allister wants a new contract at Liverpool, he’s got to earn it
Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister made a splash when he spoke about how the club’s silence on a potential new deal made him “very sad”.
Richard Jolly will be keeping tabs on his performance at Anfield tonight and notes that the 29-year-old’s form last year scarcely merited one:
If Alexis Mac Allister wants a new contract at Liverpool, he’s got to earn it
The midfielder said he was ‘very sad’ to have not received an offer for new deal over the summer, yet the truth is that the 29-year-old’s form last year scarcely merited oneFlo Clifford9 September 2026 19:14NewerOlder