Liverpool drawn with Atletico AGAIN in tough Champions League group

August 26, 2021
Jack Lusby

Liverpool have been drawn against Atletico Madrid, Porto and AC Milan in the group stage of this season’s Champions League, with their campaign to kick off on September 14/15.

The Reds are in the Champions League for the fifth successive season after a remarkable end to last term that saw them clinch third in the Premier League.

Now strengthened the return of all three first-choice centre-backs and new signing Ibrahima Konate, Jurgen Klopp‘s side should be in a much stronger position in Europe this time around.

Liverpool were in Pot 2 for the draw, avoiding the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and PSG, along with English sides Chelsea and Man City in Pot 1.

And they have been drawn against Atletico, Porto and AC Milan in Group B, which gets underway midway through next month, with the fixture dates to be confirmed in due course.

Champions League matchdays

Matchday 1: September 14/15
Matchday 2: September 28/29
Matchday 3: October 19/20
Matchday 4: November 2/3
Matchday 5: November 23/24
Matchday 6: December 7/8

* Fixture dates to be finalised in due course, likely confirmed on Friday.

Atletico were Liverpool’s last opponents in front of a full house at Anfield in the Champions League, with the Spanish side coming away 4-2 aggregate victors in the last 16.

The Reds have met Porto in two of the last four seasons, with 5-0 and 6-1 aggregate wins in the knockout stages of the Champions League in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have only played AC Milan twice in their history, both of those being in the final of the Champions League – in victory in 2005 and defeat in 2007.

The rest of the draw saw Man City drawn against PSG, Bayern Munich and Barcelona pitted against each other in a tough group and Man United given a relatively easy group with Villarreal, Atalanta and Young Boys.