Liverpool will be hosting Atletico Madrid for the fourth game in Group B of the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League campaign. The Reds have won all three of their group games so far and are five points clear at the top of the group. On second in the group are rivals Atletico Madrid, who have four points from their three games. The most recent game between the two teams was won by Liverpool, with a scoreline of 3-2 at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium. In this post, we will use the recent UCL stats for both teams, in the buildup towards their game at Anfield.
Domestically, The Reds have been in decent form, as they are currently second in the Premier League with only three points behind leaders Chelsea. They had been neck to neck with the Blues but were stunned by Brighton, who took out a 2-2 draw at Anfield. Jurgen Klopp’s men will be hoping to challenge for the titles on all fronts and all competitions that his team takes part in. On the other hand, Atletico Madrid, who started pretty well in the Spanish La Liga, are now fourth in the standings with 22 points from 11 games.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have been one of the best attacking sides in the UCL, having a decent xG of 7.23. They have scored 11 goals in the first three games, while only Bayern Munich have scored more goals than them. Liverpool have also recorded the most shots on target in the Champions League so far. On the other hand, Atletico Madrid have only scored four goals in the first three games and have also conceded four. Out of these, most of the goals came in ATM’s 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Reds.
Liverpool have one of the best PPDA values in the entire Champions League due to their constant high pressing, not allowing opponents to have a long succession of passes anywhere on the pitch. PPDA refers to passes per defensive action, and the value shows the average number of passes opponents can accumulate before the team makes a defensive action. Liverpool and Chelsea, who are both in great form, have the best PPDA values in the league, with 7.2 and 7.3 respectively. Liverpool have conceded five goals in the first three games, and will look to defend better at home against Diego Simeone’s men.
The above viz is the shot map for Atletico Madrid against Liverpool in the game at Wanda Metropolitano two weeks ago. The Spanish club had a decent number of shots in the match, and scored both goals from inside the box. They also had an xG of 1.41, hitting the target six times out of eight shots.
The Reds travelled to Madrid and dominated the game with ten shots of which, five were on target for the 3-2 victory. They had an xG of 1.24 in the game. It is almost certain that Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are going through the knockout stages of the competition from this group. They have nine points from the first three games. The competition for the second spot will be between Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid, FC Porto and AC Milan. At the moment, Porto also have four points, while Milan are yet to open their points tally.
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Jones, Henderson, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Salah, Jota, Mane
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Felipe, Gimenez, Hermoso; Trippier, De Paul, Koke, Carrasco; Felix, Suarez, Correa
