Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid Betting Tips (03/11/21) – Reds Bang Up for War of Attrition Against Unlikely Enemy

A wretched 30-minute period either side of half time cost Liverpool all three points against Brighton on Saturday. Jordan Henderson and Sadio Mane had fired the Reds into a 2-0 lead after just 24 minutes, and such a margin should really have laid the foundation for a resounding home victory at Anfield.

But the Seagulls threatened throughout, and both Solly March and Yves Bissouma could have scored in a frantic opening half-hour – Alisson doing brilliantly to defy both, and they arguably got what they deserved when Enock Mwepu pulled a goal back just before half time.

This was a game of phantom goals and one more real one – Mane and Mo Salah both had strikes ruled out, which for the latter would have extended his incredible ten-game scoring streak, as did Brighton’s Leandro Trossard.

But there was time for one more legitimate strike, and this time Trossard would not be denied. He finished smartly from Adam Lallana’s ball to draw the Seagulls level….and that’s the way it would end.

With Naby Keita forced from the field once again with injury, it was a day to forget for Jurgen Klopp, and he looked a tad exasperated at the final whistle.

He’ll be facing an old nemesis on Wednesday evening, with Atletico Madrid in town for the next round of Champions League matches. Diego Simeone has already said he won’t shake Klopp’s hand before the clash, which sets up the battle lines rather nicely at Anfield.

Liverpool Team News

It feels as though Liverpool need Fabinho back now more than ever, and the hope is that the Brazilian will be fit for duty on Wednesday.

He’s been battling a knee injury lately, but the prognosis seems to be much more positive now and The Times reporter Paul Joyce has confirmed via his Twitter feed that both he and Thiago Alcantara are back in training.

The Atleti game will surely come too soon for Thiago, but with James Milner and Keita on the sidelines it seems as though Fabinho will join Henderson and probably Curtis Jones in midfield.

Klopp will also need to choose between Ibrahima Konate and Joel Matip as a defensive partner for Virgil van Dijk – the former seems the most likely to get the nod, while in attack it’s the age-old debate on who joins Salah….we’re going for Mane and Diogo Jota in our eleven.

Atletico Madrid Form

Klopp had his revenge over Simeone when the two teams met in the reverse fixture, and the Reds were completely dominant in that 3-2 victory.

It came after a pair of defeats to the Spanish champions last term, in which Simeone appeared to have the upper hand, tactically speaking, on his counterpart.

Atletico have been up to their old tricks in the La Liga this term, losing just one of their opening eleven matches. But they have *only* won six, with dropped points against Real Sociedad and Levante – in which they looked uncharacteristically rocky at the back – setting the scene.

Let’s not forget too that their Champions League campaign has been anything but straightforward. The loss to the Reds was followed by a 0-0 draw with Porto and a 2-1 win over AC Milan courtesy of a contentious 97th minute penalty.

Perhaps Atletico Madrid aren’t quite the side they were last season….

Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid Betting Tips

We make Liverpool a decent favourite for this game, and that is a notion reflected by the bookmakers – you can get 8/13 on a home victory here.

Atletico are dangerous underdogs at 4/1 – we certainly know what they are capable of – but as mentioned they aren’t the side they were last term, while the likes of Marcos Llorente, Thomas Lemar and Geoffrey Kondogbia are struggling with injury.

One of the interesting things about Atleti this term is that they have looked surprisingly fragile in defence, which is not the Simeone trademark, and then again you could say the same about Liverpool – they’ve conceded two or more in a pair of their Champions League games and three of their last five in the Premier League.

So Liverpool to win and Over 2.5 Goals seems like a fair suggestion at 6/4, while you can simply back the goals line at 21/20 if you prefer.