Luis Suarez has revealed how Atletico Madrid are planning to beat Liverpool in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Atletico were defeated 3-2 on home turf by the Reds on Matchday 3, in a dramatic game in which Antoine Griezmann was sent off for the hosts having previously bagged a brace.
Suarez was left on the bench for the game in Madrid but with Griezmann suspended he is expected to start in midweek.
Speaking to UEFA.com before the match, the former Liverpool favourite reflected on his current side’s defeat.
“I think that in this type of game, against big teams, and in the Champions League, details can go against you,” he said. “Any small detail, the smallest of mistakes, a millisecond in which you’re distracted…in the Champions League you pay for it. That’s obvious.
“If from the first until the last whistle you don’t play with conviction, with personality and desire to win, if you get distracted in a Champions League game, you pay for it.
“I think that’s what happened against Liverpool. We started very well, but they are strong and intelligent and very experienced, and they were ahead in the first 20 to 25 minutes, until we got back in the game.
“I think in the second half, after Antoine Griezmann was sent off, we were a bit down because we had one man less, but we kept playing to the same standard. The pace was very high, and they started to attack a little bit more until the penalty.”
Although Atletico struggled against Liverpool last time out, they have defeated the Reds at Anfield recently. In March 2020, Diego Simeone’s side secured a 3-2 victory after extra time in the second leg of the pair’s round of 16 meeting, ending the Reds’ hopes of retaining the Champions League.
Asked how Atleti planned to repeat the trick on Wednesday, Suarez said: “Of course, every team has its strengths and weaknesses. We know how good Liverpool are on the counter attack when they get the ball up to their pacy attackers.
“We know they have some weaknesses we could exploit in our favour and we should exploit them again in the next game. We have to pay attention because, besides using those strengths, they have an extra player, which is the Anfield crowd, and that makes things harder for us.”
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