Liverpool are unbeaten across their latest five matches. Atlético Madrid have won three of five, but Saturday's 3-0 defeat at Athletic Club gives the Reds an obvious place to apply pressure at Anfield tonight.
A proper European test at Anfield
This is the sort of Champions League fixture that needs little dressing up. Liverpool have found a measure of control without being flawless, while Atlético have mixed convincing victories with moments of defensive vulnerability.
The home side have scored eight goals and conceded four across their latest five matches. A 2-0 win at Ipswich Town on Friday followed successive 2-2 draws against Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United, so Liverpool arrive with their unbeaten run intact and a timely clean sheet behind them.
Atlético need an immediate response
Atlético's recent sequence has brought three wins, one draw and one defeat, with nine goals scored and seven conceded. The concern is where that run ended: a 3-0 loss at Athletic Club on Saturday.
That result came one week after Atlético won 3-1 away to Sevilla. They have already shown they can carry a threat on the road, but Anfield will test whether they can recover their defensive shape quickly enough when Liverpool raise the tempo.
The question that could decide it
Liverpool have scored twice in four of their latest five matches. Atlético have conceded four across their past two, so the early battle is clear: can the visitors slow Liverpool down before the crowd and the home attack take control?
Atlético's own nine-goal return over five matches means Liverpool cannot treat this as a one-way examination. If the Reds commit too many bodies forward, the visitors have enough recent attacking form to make the spaces count.
Match details
Liverpool v Atlético Madrid
Wednesday 9 September, 20:00 BST
UEFA Champions League
Anfield
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What to watch
Liverpool's chance is to turn Atlético's difficult weekend into a difficult opening at Anfield. Atlético's task is to survive that first surge, settle the game and show that the defeat in Bilbao was a setback rather than the start of a slide.