Liverpool's Defensive Concerns as Atlético Madrid Visits Anfield

The last time Liverpool and Atlético Madrid met on Matchday 1, Anfield shook to a 3-2 home win. This time, the noise will be the same. The questions around Liverpool’s defence are louder.

Andoni Iraola’s side is still trying to find its shape. Five points from three Premier League games looks steady enough on paper, but the story on the pitch is messier: four goals conceded in the first two league outings, both ending in draws, and a back line that still feels temporary rather than settled.

The one clear positive? Alexander Isak.

Isak sharp again after stuttering first year

At Portman Road on Friday, Isak needed just nine minutes to remind everyone why Liverpool invested in him. Two ruthless finishes in a 2-0 win at Ipswich, taking him to three goals in his first three league games of the season. Cody Gakpo assisted all three of his strikes so far – a partnership that finally looks synced after an injury-hit debut campaign for the Swedish forward.

Last season, Isak managed only four goals in 22 appearances. This version of him is leaner, sharper, far more decisive in the box. His European record still lags behind – just one goal in 13 Champions League games – but his current form makes him the obvious focal point for Iraola’s attack.

He’ll need to be, because the rest of the squad is still patchwork. Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni remain unavailable, while Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo were not registered for Champions League duty. That leaves Iraola relying heavily on a core group to carry the early-season load.

Liverpool are expected to line up with Alisson behind a back line of Kerkez, Ronald Araújo, Jacquet and Virgil van Dijk, with Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Bradley Barcola in midfield. Florian Wirtz, Gakpo and Isak should form the attacking trio.

Atlético smell weakness

Diego Simeone’s Atlético arrive on Merseyside still stung by a 3-0 defeat at Athletic Bilbao. It was a bruising reminder of their own vulnerabilities, yet they sit sixth in La Liga with seven points from their first four games and, crucially, they know Anfield does not intimidate them.

This is a club that won 3-2 here in 2019/20 and came back from 2-0 down at Anfield last season. When Liverpool’s defensive structure wobbles, Atlético usually find the cracks.

Right now, those cracks are visible. Araújo has been pushed into right-back duty with Bradley and Leoni out, leaving a back four still learning each other’s movements. Liverpool’s defensive line is being built on the fly as competitive games roll in. That is exactly the kind of scenario Simeone relishes.

The Argentine coach is set to hand Julián Álvarez his first start of the season, a significant boost to the attack. Cristian Romero is also pushing for his first start since joining the club, adding bite and aggression to the back line. Alexander Sorloth is sidelined with a thigh problem and Arnau Ortiz is suspended, but Atlético still travel with enough firepower and know-how to turn this into a grind.

Simeone’s likely XI: Jan Oblak in goal; Marcos Llorente, Romero, Dávid Hancko and Alejandro Grimaldo across the back; Giuliano Simeone, Pablo Barrios and Morten Hjulmand in midfield; with Ademola Lookman, Álex Baena and Álvarez up front.

The numbers suggest the market is underestimating them. The implied probability of Atlético avoiding defeat sits at 46.5%. For a side with their record at Anfield and Liverpool’s current defensive uncertainty, that feels low. They have never won a league-phase game against English opposition, but they do not need to here – a draw would be enough to back up that faith.

Creativity drought at Anfield

For all the talk about Liverpool’s defensive issues, the attack has its own problem: chance creation.

Across their first three Premier League matches, Liverpool rank 19th in the division for big chances created, with just four. Brighton, by contrast, have carved out 15 in the same span. For a side boasting Wirtz, Gakpo, Szoboszlai and Isak, that is a glaring shortfall.

This is where Simeone will feel most comfortable. Barrios and Hjulmand will patrol the spaces Wirtz loves to drift into between the lines, closing down the half-spaces and forcing Liverpool wide. Behind them, Oblak remains one of the most reliable goalkeepers in Europe, anchoring a unit designed to suffocate games rather than open them up.

Simeone will happily turn this into a slow, narrow contest. Atlético have scored seven in their last four league matches, so they still carry a threat going the other way, especially with Álvarez stepping back into the starting lineup. But they will not be drawn into a shootout at Anfield.

That tactical balance points towards a tight scoreline. A 1-1 draw feels entirely plausible: Isak continuing his early-season surge, Álvarez marking his first start with a decisive moment, and Liverpool once again leaving the pitch with more questions than answers about how this new era will really look when the stakes rise.

Anfield has seen this clash before. The names change, the stakes shift, but the underlying tension remains the same: can Liverpool’s evolving side handle Atlético’s ruthless edge when the margins are thin and the lights are unforgiving?