Liverpool XI vs Atletico Madrid: Isak starts - Starting lineup and confirmed team news for Champions League

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Evening Standard

·17 September 2025

Liverpool XI vs Atletico Madrid: Isak starts - Starting lineup and confirmed team news for Champions League

Alexander Isak makes an eagerly-awaited debut in high-profile Anfield showdown

Liverpool open their Champions League campaign by welcoming Atletico Madrid to Anfield tonight, and summer signing Alexander Isak makes his debut from the start.

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The Swede did not feature against Burnley in Liverpool’s 1-0 win at Turf Moor, with Slot insisting that he would ease in his newest recruit, who has not had a full pre-season after his attempts to force a move. But Isak is with the squad and was in contention to make his debut, and now, he will, starting from the off here.

The Reds are in good form this term, winning all four of their Premier League games so far, and they are looking to better their run on the continent from last year, where they were beaten by Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16.

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Arne Slot’s side take on Atletico for the first time since 2021, where they faced them twice in the old Champions League group stage format.

On both occasions, the English side emerged victorious, beating their Spanish counterparts 2-0 at Anfield and 3-2 at the Wanda Metropolitano. Both times Atleti had a man sent off, with Felipe dismissed in the first game, and Antoine Griezmann seeing red in the second.

Now, the big talking point was whether Isak will make his debut for his new club following his £125million move from Newcastle... and he does.

In the squad: Alexander Isak

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Liverpool’s other summer signings, including Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike, are also in line to make their European bows for their new employers, while Jeremie Frimpong is back in at right-back after he made his return from injury off the bench at the weekend.

Ekitike has been dropped to the bench for this one in place of Isak, but Wirtz starts behind the new No9.

Out wide, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah get the nod, with Dominik Szoboszlai moved back into midfield from right-back to play alongside Ryan Gravenberch.

Alexis Mac Allister could also play a part from the bench, while Curtis Jones’ misses out after he was left out from the squad against Burnley with a knock.

Confirmed Liverpool XI (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Salah, Isak, Gakpo

Injured: Jones

Time and date: 8pm BST on Wednesday September 17, 2025

How to watch: TNT Sports 1