Champions League Round of 16: Atletico Madrid vs. Liverpool Preview, Odds and Predictions

The European champions, Liverpool, will have a massive challenge ahead of them this Tuesday. The Reds are facing Atletico Madrid on the road in the round of 16 of the Champions League. The toughest possible opponent from the second pot was paired with the Reds, who now have to work very hard in order to eliminate the Spanish crew.

Preview

Atletico Madrid (+250) is the underdog here, but be sure that such a situation will only motivate Diego Simeone’s guys. This is one of the toughest teams in Europe, with an incredible defensive potential, who might create lots of problems for the Reds. Although it sounds unrealistic, Atletico is one of the teams who could restrain Reds, using their slow tempo of play and numerous tactical tricks. The Matress Makers had one bad period from the middle of January up until early February once they posted four losses and a draw. Five of their previous seven games saw both teams not to score.

Liverpool (+115) is without a loss for 14 straight matches, and in the past 10, they have just one draw and nine triumphs. But what is fascinating is the fact that Reds’ defense plays magnificently, and they allowed only three goals in these 10 recent events. With Virgil Van Dijk in command, Liverpool’s defense is arguably the best in Europe. Their efficiency is not that high as before, and that is mostly because Klopp doesn’t allow overloading, and tends to keep his players fresh for the upcoming challenges. It is why Liverpool lowers down the tempo after scoring a goal and keeps the possession of the ball, preventing the rival from getting into a position to dictate the rhythm.

Latest News

Diego Costa is back after his hernia problems. However, Hector Herrera and Joao Felix are questionable, and their absence could be a major blow. Meanwhile, Kiernan Trippier is injured.

Apart from Nathaniel Clyne and Xherdan Shaquiri, there are no other absences among the Reds.

Head to Head Games

The last time these two teams played a competitive game was in 2010, once Atletico eliminated Liverpool from the semifinals of the Europa League. After defeating the Reds in Madrid with 1-0, Atletico lost in Liverpool 2-1 and progressed because of an away goal.

Prediction

We won’t see too many goals here, be sure about that. Neither will Liverpool risk conceding a goal at Wanda nor would Atletico expose its back line. One goal here is a massive advantage because this match is not like others where one game might see three, four, or five scores. Both sides have astonishing defenses, and that is just one more reason to go with low efficiency. Under 2.5 goals is the first choice here, with the odds -163. Now, for those love to bet on long shots, we have a proposition. Try the correct score 0:0, with the moneyline set at +700. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see this happening. There is too much at stake here, and as we said, both Simeone and Klopp aren’t willing to push anything and chase the result in the opening 90 minutes.

All other picks are available to you on this link.