Bradley Barcola vs Ipswich Town
Bradley Barcola vs Ipswich Town
Andoni Iraola faces the media on Tuesday ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League opener against Atletico Madrid at Anfield on Wednesday.
The fixture will mark Iraola’s first Champions League match as Liverpool head coach, having taken over from Arne Slot in the summer.
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The Spaniard is looking to build on the Reds’ first Premier League win of the season, a 2-0 victory over Ipswich Town on Friday that ended their opening run of two consecutive 2-2 draws. Alexander Isak scored both goals, with Cody Gakpo providing the assists.
Liverpool enter their European campaign with confidence boosted by that result, while Iraola faces questions over his plans for Atletico and the demands of managing in Europe for the first time.
The match also presents a significant test of the high-intensity approach he has introduced since taking charge this summer.
Atletico Madrid provide the opposition at Anfield as Liverpool begin their 2026-27 Champions League campaign.
The Spanish side reached the semi-finals of last season’s competition, losing to Arsenal, while Liverpool were eliminated in the quarter-finals 4-0 on aggregate by Paris Saint-Germain, who went on to retain the trophy with a penalty shootout win over Arsenal in the final.
The clubs have met nine times in European competition, with Liverpool winning four and Atletico three, and two matches drawn. The Reds have won three of the five matches played at Anfield.
Liverpool have won each of the last three meetings, one in Madrid and the latter two at Anfield.
The Reds have kept only one clean sheet in those nine matches, a 2-0 win at Anfield in November 2021.
The sides also met at Anfield on matchday one of last season’s Champions League league phase, with Virgil van Dijk heading a stoppage-time winner in a 3-2 victory for Liverpool.
With preparations underway for Liverpool’s Champions League opener against Atletico Madrid, Andoni Iraola has provided an update on summer signing Bradley Barcola.
The France international made his Liverpool debut in Friday’s 2-0 victory over Ipswich Town, coming off the bench at Portman Road and playing around half an hour.
Iraola had been cautious with the winger after he arrived without any pre-season match minutes.
Bradley Barcola has now had some valuable minutes under his belt, and Iraola confirmed that the former Paris Saint-Germain forward is ready to take on a greater workload as Liverpool’s schedule intensifies.
“He is ready to play more minutes. He has been training quite normally. The only thing is that he hasn’t had pre-season [games], but he is in a really good place,” Iraola said.
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