Atletico hope for less drama against Liverpool

ATLETICO MADRID will hope for a tighter contest against Liverpool in the Champions League after playing out a frantic 2-2 draw against Sevilla yesterday.

Joao Felix looked as sharp at the Wanda Metropolitano as he has done all season and completed a four-minute comeback for Atletico after Alvaro Morata’s penalty cancelled out Luuk de Jong’s opener for Sevilla.

But Lucas Ocampos levelled with another penalty at the end of a pulsating first half, again with the help of VAR after a foul by Kieran Trippier, whose involvement at Anfield on Thursday (4am Malaysian time) could be in doubt.

Trippier took treatment after a heavy challenge from Nemanja Gudelj in the second half and while he finished the game, the fullback appeared restricted in his movement.

The draw will be more gratefully received by

Sevilla, who sit third in La Liga and two points ahead of Atletico, who are fifth after missing an opportunity to close the gap.

Yet while the top four is by no means a guarantee for Diego Simeone’s side, the Champions League has assumed even greater importance with La Liga’s title race firmly out of reach.

Despite the four goals in the first 45 minutes it was to be technology that dominated the post game conversation, as both sides were awarded a spotkick from VAR.

That balance of outcome in decision was reflected by Simeone in his post game interview with Marca, as he felt the use of VAR was even for both sides.

“In the end, it (VAR) ended up being more fair than unfair.

“However, I am still far from a fan of it, but I do not think it was the determining factor in the game.”

“It was a brilliant, but neither side showed enough calmness to win it.”

Since their surprise 1-0 home win over Liverpool earlier this month, Atletico have struggled to sustain momentum, having beaten Villarreal, drawn away at struggling Espanyol and now been held by Sevilla.

But they are full of hope, after welcoming back key players from injury.

Felix’s performance will have been especially encouraging, the Portugese capping an excellent display with his second goal in three games since returning from a month out and now looking likely to start against Liverpool.

Diego Costa is also fit again and would be a more conservative option if Simeone opts for physicality over creativity alongside Morata, who scored his first goal in eight weeks.