Simeone: Atletico Must Be Fully Focused from the Start Against Liverpool Away

Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone reminded his team to be prepared for the intense atmosphere at Anfield before Wednesday's away match against Liverpool.

In last Saturday's 0-3 away defeat to Athletic Bilbao, Atletico conceded two goals within three minutes in the second half. Simeone believes the problem was not a lack of motivation, but a drop in focus and a momentary loss of concentration.

Three-minute collapse exposed concentration issues. In the defeat against Athletic Bilbao, Atletico conceded goals in a short period in the second half and eventually lost 0-3.

Simeone directly responded to the defeat in his pre-match interview: "I don't think what happened in Bilbao was a lack of motivation, but a lack of alertness, a blackout." He further reminded his players that Anfield would bring a completely different level of intensity: "We are going into an extraordinary stadium, the atmosphere will be very intense, and we must be fully focused from the very beginning because it will be an all-out attacking battle from the start."

Champions League away statistics are not favorable. Atletico's defensive performance in the Champions League has not been stable. In their last 16 Champions League matches, the team have kept only one clean sheet, and they have lost all of their last five away matches in England.

A year ago, Atletico also traveled to Merseyside for the opening round of the Champions League. They fell 0-2 behind after six minutes, although they came back to make it 2-2, before Virgil van Dijk scored a stoppage-time winner. These figures point to the same issue: Atletico can lose control during the opening and closing stages of away matches in England.

Alvarez and David are likely to start on the bench. Regarding personnel, Simeone admitted that the transfer rumors surrounding Julian Alvarez before the close of the transfer window were not helpful for the team. After learning he would not be allowed to join Barcelona, Alvarez missed two days of training, citing illness.

The Argentina international is unlikely to start, and Jonathan David, who joined on loan from Juventus on September 1, is also not expected to be in the starting lineup. Since joining, David has made two substitute appearances. Simeone said: "Jonathan has just arrived, and Julian is recovering. I don't think he can start tomorrow, but I believe he can help at some stage of the match." Both players are expected to receive some playing time.

There is a precedent for a comeback in the historical meetings. Atletico returned empty-handed from Anfield last season, but they have also enjoyed success in Merseyside. In the 2020 Champions League round of 16, Simeone's team eliminated Liverpool at Anfield. Wednesday's opponent Liverpool had just beaten Ipswich Town 2-0 on Friday, which was also Iraola's first win after replacing Slot. Simeone will naturally hope his team can repeat their 2020 away performance, but only if they avoid another lapse in concentration.