More than a hint of nostalgia accompanies anybody making the approach to the Metropolitano stadium. Plaques embedded into the paving celebrate players from Atletico Madrid’s past, and this evening some Liverpool supporters will doubtless pause when they step past the one that honours Fernando Torres, former idol of both Atletico and of Anfield. But for the visitors in tonight’s first leg of the Champions League last-16 tie, uplifting memories are spread across the campus. Less than nine months ago, Liverpool won the European Cup at the Metropolitano, the biggest occasion a relatively new stadium has hosted. As a home for Atletico, the arena still feels a little too new. No alternative to the creaky old bowl that was the Vicente Calderon, at the other end of the Spanish capital, was ever going to be universally loved because the Calderon had so much authentic history and a particular way of sustaining noise and alarming guests. It did so to great effect in its later days as a Champions League venue. Season-ticket holders at the new venue feel wistful for that time, for the epic knockout matches that took Atletico, usually the underdogs, past Barcelona, twice, past Bayern Munich and past a powerful Chelsea to two European Cup finals and a semi in the years from 2014 to 2017. Some of that magic was mislaid en route to the Metropolitano, where, on its ominous opening European night, in 2017, Atletico lost a home game for only the second time in the Champions League under the long-serving, inspiring management of Diego Simeone. Home form is currently barren, too. In the last four and quarter hours of football at the Metropolitano, Atletico have scored just once. That’s one detail among many that troubles Simeone as he prepares to confront Liverpool, the strongest club side in Europe. Atletico are precariously close to slipping out La Liga’s top four, and although the habits cultivated over eight years under Simeone cannot be entirely eroded, the defensive excellence that had become their forte is showing some chips and cracks. At Valencia on Friday, Atletico conceded two goals from set-pieces, which is more than Simeone would normally tolerate in half a season. They also let go of a lead twice, drawing 2-2, more points dropped in what has not been a happy 2020 so far. Atletico were last month eliminated from the Copa del Rey by Cultural Leonesa, of the third tier, and they are on a run, across competitions, of one victory in seven. “We are defending in a different way, and attacking in a different way,” said Simeone after the draw in Valencia, a fine spectacle for the neutral but not for the players who have belonged for the longest to a club renowned, in the Simeone era, for its rugged resilience. Chief among them goalkeeper Jan Oblak, who misses the protection of Diego Godin, who joined Internazionale in the summer, and the guarantees that, at the other end of the pitch, Antoine Griezmann used to provide in the streamlined counter-attacking style Simeone developed. Oblak may have a claim to being the number one goalkeeper in the Champions League, although the man he touches gloves with this evening would be entitled to contest the status. Liverpool’s year without defeat in the Premier League is in large part down to their goalkeeper, Alisson Becker. Oblak and Alisson have distinct strengths, the Slovenian his outstanding positioning and reflexes as a shot-stopper, the Brazilian his distribution and skill with his feet. “For me, Jan is the best keeper in the world,” says Simeone, “and he’s a leader.” A more understated one than Alisson, perhaps, but the centre of authority when Atletico are at their most confident. Of Alisson, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp notes how “he makes the difficult things looks easy.” Klopp is still grateful for the keeper’s brilliant leap and stretch to keep out a Christian Eriksen free-kick at the Metropolitano as Liverpool defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the last Champions League final and for the athletic block to deny Napoli’s Arkadiusz Milik a late goal that would almost certainly have prevented Liverpool emerging from their group that season. Alisson returns to Madrid having conceded just one goal in Liverpool’s last 11 Premier League fixtures, all of them victories. He can expect to have a full-strength set of invincibles in front of him this evening, with Sadio Mane having confirmed his recovery from injury with the winning goal in the 1-0 victory at Norwich on Saturday. For Atletico, there will be significant absences, right-back and dead-ball specialist Kieran Trippier all but ruled out as he recovers from a groin problem, and the participation of Joao Felix, the €125m summer recruit, and Diego Costa also in doubt. A side short of goals, and self-belief, could do with all three.
