There’s a certain electricity in the air whenever Liverpool FC prepares for a big European night at Anfield, and this week is no exception. As the Reds gear up to host Atletico Madrid in their Champions League opener on September 17, 2025, anticipation is mounting both on Merseyside and across the continent. But while the men’s squad is riding a wave of early-season momentum, Liverpool FC Women find themselves searching for answers after a frustrating loss to Leicester City.
Let’s start with the women’s side, who battled valiantly but ultimately came up short against Leicester City on September 15. Despite dominating the first half in both possession and territory, Liverpool FC Women couldn’t convert their superiority into goals. The team completed an impressive 86% of their passes and controlled nearly 75% of the ball, yet the final product was missing. Nine total shots—six in the first half, three in the second—yielded just 0.5 expected goals, according to FotMob. It’s a statistic that tells the story: plenty of buildup, not enough bite.
There were bright spots, however. Cornelia Kapocs continued her strong start to the campaign, linking up smartly with Marie Höbinger on the left and consistently finding pockets of space around the box. Kapocs’s cutbacks created some of Liverpool’s best opportunities, even if they went unconverted. Mia Enderby, stepping in for the not-quite-fit Ceri Holland, also impressed down the right. In just 45 minutes, Enderby completed both of her dribbles, drew a foul in a dangerous area, and forced the Leicester keeper into a save from the top of the box. After being largely overlooked last season, Enderby’s emergence as a spot starter is a welcome development for manager Gareth Taylor.
Yet, for all their control, Liverpool’s Achilles’ heel proved to be a mental lapse at the back. Reduced to 10 players after Shannon O’Brien’s second yellow card, Leicester City seemed ripe for the taking. Instead, Liverpool relaxed, and a lack of communication between Fuka Nagano and Gemma Bonner allowed Emily van Egmond to ghost in for a decisive header. As Taylor candidly put it after the match, “Those games can happen like that, when you are obviously so dominant in everything and one action from the opposition can result in a goal. That’s the importance of tracking runners, making sure we’re staying goal-side. We just need that bit of quality at the top end just to get the final action right.”
Injuries have played their part in Liverpool’s early struggles. With both Lily Woodham and Alejandre Bernabe sidelined, and right back Risa Shimizu still regaining match fitness, Taylor was forced to deploy four center backs across the defensive line. Grace Fisk and Gemma Evans filled in as makeshift fullbacks, while Lucy Parry—still working her way back from a long-term Achilles issue—remained on the bench. The lack of natural width from the back limited Liverpool’s ability to stretch play and create overloads, further compounding their attacking woes.
The result leaves Liverpool FC Women still searching for their first points of the season. Next up is a trip to face Aston Villa—another side desperate for a turnaround—on Sunday, September 21. With the campaign still young, Taylor and his squad have time to right the ship, but the margin for error is shrinking with each passing fixture.
Meanwhile, Liverpool FC’s men’s team is basking in the glow of a record-breaking start to their Premier League season. Under new boss Arne Slot, the Reds have won all four of their opening matches, each time scoring in the final 10 minutes—a feat never before achieved in Premier League history. Their most recent outing, a gritty 1-0 victory at Burnley on September 14, showcased both their resilience and their knack for late drama. It may not have always been pretty, but Liverpool’s ability to grind out results has them sitting atop the league with a perfect record.
Slot now turns his attention to Europe, where Liverpool will be looking to erase the bitter memory of last season’s Champions League exit at the hands of eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain. Their first test? A mouthwatering clash with Atletico Madrid—a team with a reputation for frustrating even the most free-flowing attacks. Historically, Atleti have been a thorn in Liverpool’s side, losing just once in their first six competitive meetings. However, the tide has shifted in recent years, with the Reds claiming back-to-back wins over Diego Simeone’s men in the 2021-22 group stage.
Atletico Madrid arrive at Anfield with their own set of challenges. After stumbling out of the gate in La Liga, drawing with Alaves and Elche, Simeone’s side finally secured their first win of the season, a 2-0 triumph over Villarreal. Still, injuries have depleted their ranks, and finding the back of the net has been a struggle. Their trademark compact defensive style remains intact, but questions linger about where the goals will come from.
Liverpool, on the other hand, have rediscovered their defensive discipline, recording back-to-back clean sheets against Arsenal and Burnley. New signing Ekitike has hit the ground running, carrying over his prolific form from Eintracht Frankfurt—where he netted 22 times last season—into the Premier League. His sharpness and confidence in front of goal make him a player to watch as the Reds seek to make a statement in Europe.
Preparations for the Champions League showdown have been thorough. On September 16, Liverpool streamed a live training session from the AXA Training Centre in Kirkby, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at Slot’s methods and the squad’s focus ahead of the big night. The mood in camp is buoyant, but there’s a clear understanding of the challenge that awaits.
Betting markets reflect the sense of expectation around Anfield. Liverpool are favorites to win, with odds of -175, while a draw sits at +320 and an Atletico upset at +400. The smart money, according to analysts, is on a low-scoring affair—perhaps not surprising given both sides’ recent defensive records. The consensus prediction? A 2-0 victory for Liverpool, though as any seasoned fan knows, Champions League nights have a habit of defying expectations.
As the clock ticks down to kickoff, one thing is certain: Anfield will be rocking, the stakes will be high, and both Liverpool teams—men and women—will be eager to prove themselves on the big stage. For the women, the focus is on regrouping and seizing their first points against Aston Villa. For the men, it’s about maintaining momentum and laying down an early marker in Europe. The storylines are rich, the drama guaranteed, and for Liverpool supporters everywhere, the next few days promise to be full of hope, nerves, and, just maybe, a little magic.
