Two weeks have passed and the teams will meet again. This time the action will take place at Anfield Stadium. The first match ended with a somewhat unexpected Atletico victory 1-0. For Liverpool to advance to the next stage, a victory is essential, perhaps even by a two-goal margin.
Liverpool
The team had hit a bit of a slump recently. However, the last match against Bournemouth already looked better. Liverpool still remains one of the best teams in Europe at the moment.
Atmosfera at Anfield should be impressive and it should help Liverpool demonstrate good play. No team finds it easy at this stadium. One can recall last year's 4-0 victory against Barcelona. Overall, Liverpool has not lost at home for more than 20 consecutive matches.
Since the first match ended with Atletico's 1-0 victory, Liverpool's situation here will not be the easiest. A 1-0 victory would lead to extra time. If Atletico scores, it means that Liverpool would need at least a two-goal margin to advance to the next stage.
Liverpool will likely be without Allison in this match, but Adrian should cover well for him. There are no other major injuries in the home team, so we will see almost an optimal lineup.
Atletico Madrid
Atletico is also a very strong team, but their play this season is unconvincing. In La Liga, they are in only 5th place. Playing away, the situation is even worse. Out of 13 matches, only 3 have been won. In all of them, they have scored only 11 goals and conceded 12.
So, especially this season, Atletico could be called a home team. There they can beat anyone. They achieved a victory against the same Liverpool. It is very hard to expect that they will be able to demonstrate the same level of play as they did two weeks ago. And there should be no big doubts that Liverpool's play will be better.
In this match, Atletico will be able to rely on almost a full lineup. The only major absences are Morata and Lemar. Everyone else is healthy, and even Felix should play.
Choice
So, atmosfera at Anfield should be impressive this Wednesday. Liverpool must advance to the next stage. Otherwise, the entire impressive season would be forgotten. Knowing Atletico's poor away play this season, we can expect a very strong focus on defense and trying to protect the result. However, it would be very strange if Liverpool couldn't score a goal throughout the match. We predict that the stronger Liverpool team will achieve a home victory and will probably do so by more than one goal margin.
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