Programme notesArne Slot: It's never too soon for a special European atmosphere at Anfield

The first of the Reds’ eight league-phase fixtures in this season’s Champions League sees the Spanish club visit L4 (8pm BST kick-off).

In his notes for the official matchday programme, Slot writes: “When the draw for this season’s competition was first made we knew that we were in a difficult group and this feeling was underlined when it was confirmed that our first game would be against Atletico, a team which has established itself as one of the strongest in Spain and also in Europe over the last decade.

“I am sure that this is the kind of fixture that UEFA had in mind when they made changes to the format not so long ago as we face up to a tie – not just tonight but also later in the group stage – that could quite easily be a Champions League quarter-final, semi-final or even a final.

“This means we have to be ready for the qualities, strengths and challenges that we know Atletico will bring.

“Most important of all these is that under Diego Simeone they are always competitive. It would not be possible to consistently finish in the top four in La Liga – a league featuring Real Madrid and Barcelona – if this was not the reality.

“In this respect, Atletico are one of the most consistent teams in Europe and it has been this way for a while. For this to be the case, they have to perform at a really high level on a very regular basis so we should definitely expect that this will be the case tonight.

“I know it is very early in this season’s Champions League with another seven group games to go after this fixture but I don’t think it could ever be too soon to have a special European atmosphere at Anfield, especially as our fans know better than anyone else how much of a difference they can make.”

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