On Monday, Liverpool were drawn against Atletico Madrid in the next round of the Champions League. It is arguably the toughest they could have picked up.
On the chalkboard
The Reds qualified for the next round of the competition on the final matchday of the group stage, thanks to a 2-0 victory away at RB Salzburg. In the end, that was enough to see them top to the group.
Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, were only able to finish second in their own group, with Juventus leading the way. Los Rojiblancos have not been at their best so far this campaign, but they have the ability to cause problems for their opponents.
Tough to break down
Liverpool have lost just once so far this season, but that did come against Napoli in the Champions League. The Italian side triumphed 2-0 at home against Jurgen Klopp’s men, and that came after they had just 48% possession. They still managed more shots on target than their opponents, though.
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Atletico, meanwhile, could only manage a 2-2 draw at home against the Old Lady earlier on this campaign, but Maurizio Sarri’s side are a better team than Napoli – they are the Serie A champions and are currently second in the league behind Internazionale with Gennaro Gattuso’s men lying in eighth – but they will have been disappointed not to pick up all three points.
Despite having just 46% possession, they still managed eight shots on target to their opponents’ six in that match. They also won 15 aerial battles to 11, which is very similar to that Napoli and Liverpool match – the former won 12 compared to nine.
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In the return leg, Napoli were incredibly hard to break down – they managed just 26% possession, yet they reduced their opponents to just five shots on target during the match.
Atletico may not be too good going forward – they have just 18 goals in La Liga this term to date – but they are incredibly difficult to break down.
The 10 goals they have conceded is the least in the league, and they conceded just five in those six European matches as well.
With the likes of Joao Felix and Diego Costa to cause danger up front, Liverpool have a tough task on their hands. Their current form means they will go into the match as favourites, but the style of Diego Simeone may be their toughest challenge of the season.
In other news, this Liverpool star would be downgrading if he moved to this European giant.
