Liverpool Prepare for First Champions League Test Under Iraola
Liverpool have begun preparations for their Champions League meeting with Atlético Madrid, with the Reds set to open their 2026/27 league-phase campaign at Anfield on Wednesday.
The fixture will be their first European match of the season and comes just a few days after Andoni Iraola’s side recorded their first Premier League victory of the campaign, beating Ipswich Town 2-0 at Portman Road. Alexander Isak scored twice inside the opening 10 minutes, with both goals assisted by Cody Gakpo.
The Reds' focus has now shifted towards Atlético, with the squad continuing its work at the AXA Training Centre ahead of the match. The club confirmed on Monday that supporters will be able to watch a live broadcast of the team’s Champions League training session on Tuesday, the day before the game. The session is scheduled to begin at 4:45pm BST, subject to a short delay.
The match also provides Iraola with his first Champions League fixture as Liverpool head coach. Having secured his first competitive victory against Ipswich, the Spaniard will now prepare his squad for a considerably different test against Diego Simeone’s Atlético side.
Liverpool's recent victory also provided some useful momentum heading into the European campaign. The team kept a clean sheet at Portman Road, while Isak opened his Liverpool goalscoring account with a quick-fire double. Bradley Barcola also made his competitive debut following his move from Paris Saint-Germain, although Iraola has previously indicated that the winger's involvement would be managed carefully because of his limited pre-season preparation.
There are still some fitness issues for Liverpool to consider. Joe Gomez is expected to resume team training this week, while Giovanni Leoni, Federico Chiesa, Conor Bradley and Hugo Ekitike have been managing their respective fitness situations. Iraola's latest update indicated that Gomez was the closest to returning to full team training.
With the Atlético match approaching, Tuesday's training session should provide a clearer indication of the players available to Iraola and how he intends to approach his first European fixture under the Reds.
The match is scheduled for Wednesday, September 9, at Anfield, with kick-off at 8pm BST.
No comments:
Post a Comment