Virgil van Dijk and Liverpool Ready to Face Difficult Atletico Madrid

The last time Liverpool faced off against Atletico Madrid was in the 2021-22 edition of the Champions League when the two clubs met in the group stage, with the Reds winning 3-2 away and then 2-0 at home in a season in which they topped their group and made it all the way to the final before falling to Real Madrid.

For many, though, it will be the previous meetings—the Round of 16 tie in 2019-20 that saw Atleti advance 4-2 on aggregate after taking the two-legged affair to extra time in game two at Anfield—that still sit uncomfortably in the back of the mind. And no matter the final score, facing a Diego Simeone side is always a difficult task.

“It’s a team that works so hard, a world-class manager, it says a lot that he has been at that club for such a long time,” Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said of his side’s upcoming opponents. “They have world class players, a world class goalie, I can go on and on. They are just a very difficult team to beat and never give up.

“That’s the mentality they have. They maybe haven’t had the start that they want in terms of in the league, but I know that this is the start of their campaign as well and they will want to impress, so we have to be ready. We had a good session today and now it’s time to all prepare at home and be ready to go for tomorrow.”

Atleti currently sit bottom half of La Liga after four match weeks with just one win. Simeone’s Rojiblancos can point to a victory over Villarreal coming out of the September international break, but August saw them lose to Espanyol in the opener before drawing back-to-back against relegation-battlers Elche and Alaves.

They are a side that everybody expects will get better, and a side and manager that historically perform at their best against top opposition. For Liverpool meanwhile the talk is also about a need to get better—but that comes from a position of strength as they top the Premier League with four wins in their first four games.

“Hopefully as quickly as possible,” Van Dijk added when asked about his own side not looking at their absolute best yet in 2025-26. “I’m definitely delighted with all the players, the quality that we have brought in. But it takes time, it’s absolutely normal. They are in a good place—to be here with us is a great place to be.

“The club is in a great place. It gives them the opportunity to express themselves as quickly as possible and that’s a good thing. You want to feel welcome as quickly as possible so you can express yourself in the best way possible, on the pitch especially, of course, but off the pitch as well and I think that’s definitely happening.”

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