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Another memorable European evening under the Anfield lights is on the horizon this Wednesday as Liverpool begin their Champions League campaign against Atlético Madrid.
The Reds secured a 3–2 victory in last season's league phase encounter thanks to Virgil van Dijk's last-gasp header, but under Andoni Iraola's first Champions League outing in charge, they will be looking for a more comfortable win.
Iraola faces some tricky selection dilemmas when naming his first Champions League starting XI, with all attention focused on whether summer arrival Bradley Barcola will earn a place in the lineup. There are further challenging choices to make in both defense and midfield for the Spanish manager.
Here's how Liverpool could set up for Atléti's visit.
Liverpool Predicted Lineup vs. Atlético Madrid
GK: Alisson—The Brazilian will be making his seventh Champions League appearance against Atléti—two more than against any other club. There have been only two clean sheets across six previous encounters.
RB: Ronald Araújo—The Barcelona loanee is well acquainted with Los Rojiblancos and heads into this fixture full of confidence following an impressive performance in last Friday's victory over Ipswich Town.
CB: Jérémy Jacquet—The Frenchman is set for his Champions League debut and could find himself up against Julián Alvarez, who may return to the Atléti side following the summer's drawn-out transfer saga.
CB: Virgil van Dijk—Liverpool's hero against the Spanish side on Matchday 1 last season, Van Dijk is still waiting for his inevitable powerful header to open his scoring account for the new campaign.
LB: Milos Kerkez—Kerkez, who has had a difficult start to the season, looks set to face the tireless Giuliano Simeone, son of Atléti manager Diego, on Wednesday. It promises to be a contest of relentless energy versus technical quality.
CM: Dominik Szoboszlai—The pressure on Liverpool's undisputed 2025–26 Player of the Season appears to have eased somewhat, with teammates stepping up to match his consistently high standards.
Pick Your Liverpool XI
CM: Alexis Mac Allister—The Argentine has cast doubt over his Liverpool future after voicing frustrations regarding his contract situation in the lead-up to the match. He is expected to start regardless, with Ryan Gravenberch potentially coming in for the weekend fixture against Fulham.
RW: Cody Gakpo—Liverpool are hugely relieved to have retained Gakpo despite exit speculation. The Dutchman has hit the ground running this season with a goal and three assists, two of which were brilliantly crafted against Ipswich.
AM: Florian Wirtz—Consistency remains the biggest challenge for Wirtz on Merseyside. The German's promising display against Nottingham Forest was sandwiched between underwhelming outings against Newcastle United and Ipswich.
LW: Bradley Barcola—Gakpo could shift to the right flank to accommodate Barcola's first Liverpool start. The two-time Champions League winner came off the bench against Ipswich and quickly set a Premier League record for the season.
ST: Alexander Isak—Isak's brace against Ipswich was precisely what Liverpool fans had been craving over the past year. His first goal highlighted his physicality, while the second demonstrated his intelligence and clinical composure.