In the second leg of the UCL 1/8 finals Liverpool facing off against Atl. Madrid at Anfield on Wednesday, March 11, after losing the first leg (0-1) in Madrid.
Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid
Wednesday, March 11 – 21:00 CET
After losing the first leg (0-1), Liverpool will be hoping they can produce another Champions League comeback and earn their ticket for the next stage of the tournament. Although turning the score into their favour won’t be an easy task, we can’t forget about Liverpool’s incredible comeback last season, when they overthrew Barcelona despite exiting the first leg 0-3 down. Can they do it again, however, is anyone’s guess.
Liverpool
Looking back, Liverpool struggled to recover from Saul Niguez’s fourth-minute strike in the first leg match against Atletico Madrid and despite their best efforts failed to score a goal of their own. Nonetheless, nothing is lost for the Reds just yet as chasing one goal deficit should not be too big of an issue, especially considering this match will be played in England where Atleti will be greeted with a fairly hostile environment.
Liverpool are unbeaten at home since August 2019, when they lost to Man City in overtime at the FA Community Shield finals, meaning the Reds have not tasted defeat at Anfield in 22 games, only one of which was a draw.
Atletico Madrid
Atletico’s win over Liverpool in game one was a much-needed morale boost for Atleti, who failed to look too convincing in their LaLiga campaign. The departure of their star players in Antoine Griezmann, Rodri, Lucas Hernandez and Diego Godin over the summer weakened the team significantly and although they have a young roster, which has the potential to develop and help Atletico Madrid rise back to the top of Europe, it seems like this team will need a bit more time before we can consider them as an elite-level team.
Liverpool are the clear favourites to win here, according to bookmakers. While backing the Reds to win is a no-brainer pick, we like the -1 goal handicap better. Priced at 1.99, backing Liverpool to defeat Atletico with at least two goals to spare seems like the best bet to make, as it’s hard to imagine the Reds will settle for anything less than a direct promotion into the next stage.
