Liverpool v Atletico Madrid LIVE: Bradley Barcola makes first Reds start in Champions League opener | OneFootball

Liverpool begin their Champions League campaign with Atletico Madrid visiting Anfield in gameweek one of the league phase.

The Reds will have aspirations of reaching Madrid in next year’s final, eight years after their sixth European crown in a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at the Metropolitano. But after swapping in Andoni Iraola, a significant improvement is required after back-to-back champions Paris Saint-Germain dispatched them 4-0 on aggregate in the quarter-finals.

Bradley Barcola made his debut in the 2-0 win at Ipswich last week, following a £125m move from PSG, and Alexander Isak is up and running with a quick-fire double providing the inspiration for the victory.

Diego Simeone’s side lost in last year’s semi-finals to Arsenal in a tense tie, but the Julian Alvarez transfer saga has left a shadow over the beginning of their season after a move to Barcelona or Arsenal failed to materialise.

The two sides faced each other in the same fixture last term, with a 3-2 win for the Reds providing the foundation to advance straight to the last 16 with a top-eight finish.