Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has cautioned his players to be fully switched on for the hostile environment awaiting them at Anfield when they take on Liverpool on Wednesday in their opening Champions League fixture of the campaign.
The warning comes on the back of a troubling defensive collapse in Atletico's last outing, a 3-0 loss away to Athletic Bilbao at the weekend, in which the Spanish side shipped two goals inside a three-minute span during the second half.
Simeone was quick to dismiss suggestions that his team lacked desire in that match, instead pointing to a breakdown in concentration as the root cause. "I don't think it was (a lack of) motivation what happened to us in Bilbao, it was a lack of awareness, switching off," the Argentine coach explained.
That lapse has heightened concerns ahead of a trip to Merseyside, a venue that has not been kind to Atletico in recent seasons. Last year's opening group-stage meeting between the two clubs saw Atletico fall behind 2-0 inside the first six minutes before clawing their way back to 2-2, only to be undone by a stoppage-time winner from Virgil van Dijk. More broadly, Atletico have kept just a single clean sheet in their last 16 Champions League matches and have suffered defeat in each of their previous five trips to England.
Simeone is under no illusions about what awaits his squad at Anfield. "We are coming into a marvellous stadium, a great atmosphere, we have to look at the start of the game as it will be full on," he said, underlining the need for his players to be alert from the opening whistle.
Adding to the pre-match complications, Atletico's preparations were disrupted by uncertainty surrounding forward Julian Alvarez, whose proposed transfer to Barcelona fell through before the window closed. The Argentina international reportedly missed two days of training, citing illness, after being informed the move would not go ahead. Simeone confirmed that Alvarez remains unlikely to start against Liverpool, though he is expected to be available off the bench. "Julian is getting better. I don't see he could start tomorrow, but I am sure he could help at some point in the game," the coach noted.
Also pushing for game time is striker Jonathan David, who joined Atletico on loan from Juventus at the start of September. The Canadian forward has featured only twice so far, both times as a substitute, and Simeone indicated he is similarly unlikely to be included in the starting eleven given his limited integration into the squad. "Jonathan has only just arrived," Simeone said, though he too is expected to see some involvement during the match.
Despite the recent struggles at Anfield, Atletico do have a notable precedent for success there. In 2020, Simeone's side eliminated Liverpool from the Champions League at the round-of-16 stage, winning 3-2 after extra time on Merseyside to complete a 4-2 aggregate victory, having claimed a narrow 1-0 win in the first leg in Madrid.
Liverpool, meanwhile, head into the fixture under new manager Andoni Iraola, who secured his first win in charge with a 2-0 victory over Ipswich last Friday. Simeone will be hoping his side can find a similar formula for success against the Reds as they did five years ago, this time to kick-start their continental campaign on a positive note.
Based on reporting from Independent (football).