Liverpool’s Champions League tie with Atletico Madrid may be far more evenly poised than the Barcelona semi-final last season, but it could end up being equally as tough to progress for the Reds.
Jurgen Klopp’s men return to European action on Wednesday night, knowing their status as the continent’s reigning top side is on the line.
After a 1-0 defeat at the Wanda Metropolitano last month, Liverpool have it all to do at Anfield, on what promises to be a spectacular occasion – one that is hopefully added to the collection of great nights on Merseyside.
The Reds’ insipid showing in Madrid has given them a huge amount of work to do and it will take an almighty effort to knock out Diego Simeone’s expertly-drilled outfit.
The miracle that took place against Barcelona last season may never be repeated in a Champions League knockout tie, but the challenge facing Liverpool on Wednesday could become just as great.
That may sound ridiculous, considering Barca led 3-0 after the first leg, but Atletico will bring with them a completely different challenge.
In a defensive sense, they are far superior to the Barca side who strolled into Anfield knowing one goal would required five from Liverpool. The only thing that gave supporters some hope that evening was that the Catalan giants could be got at, which was perfectly highlighted as the minutes ticked by.
Atletico will likley give Liverpool no such luxury, however, setting out to defend for their lives from minute one. It will probably be 10 men behind the ball, time-wasting at every opportunity and Simeone doing his best to get under Klopp’s skin on the touchline.
Breaking down such a stubborn rearguard is going to take an enormous amount of patience from Liverpool – ignore the fact that Atletico aren’t firing in the league, they will be at their most organised in midweek, in what is the biggest match of their season.
Should the Reds concede a dreaded away goal, life will get significantly more awkward for the hosts, who will need at least three goals to reach the quarter-finals. No team has breached Atletico’s goal that many times in 2019/20, across three different competitions.
The first goal of the night feels pivotal, assuming it comes, and an early strike for Liverpool would give the tie a completely different complexion.
As each minutes passes, however, and if Atletico begin to increasingly infuriate those of a Reds persuasion, the more it may become clear that Liverpool’s Champions League dreams could go up in smoke.
It promises to be an enthralling night, but one that understandably has a sense of dread about it.
You may laugh at the thought of it being harder than the Barca second leg, but you may think otherwise 20 minutes in.
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