ATLÉTICO DE MADRID - LIVERPOOL
Fernando Torres and Liverpool face to face, exactly 10 years on
Simeone is expected to field a different side to the one which beat Napoli yesterday, handing starts to Moyá, Lucas, Augusto and Keidi. Torres won't start.
Tuesday's 2-1 victory against Napoli served three purposes - it gave us the chance to see the 2017-18 Atleti first choice XI in action, put Simeone's team into the Audi Cup final and with the chance to bring some silverware home from their trip to Germany and set up a fairytale reunion between Fernando Torres and Liverpool - the team he joined from Atleti almost exactly 10 years ago.
Torres likely to be rested against Liverpool
Torres featured in the starting line-up against Napoli and played 78 minutes of the match which means it's unlikely he will start this evening's meeting with Liverpool although Simeone will give him some minutes towards the end of the game. El Cholo is expected to put out a different side against Jürgen Klopp's team - that is precisely why he decided to take a 29-man squad to Munich - to give everyone playing time. The coach is not willing to overload Torres, who played almost all of yesterday's game - even if means the striker will start on the bench against the other club where he is regarded an icon. While the heart might say Torres should be in the XI, the legs, at this stage of the pre-season would disagree...
Moyà in for Oblak against Liverpool
Simeone will likely give run-outs to goalkeeper Miguel Ángel Moyà, centre-back Lucas, Sergi at left-back and midfielders Augusto, Keidi or possibly Thomas, who impressed coming off the bench against Napoli. Ángel Correa and Vietto should form the attacking pair in Simeone's 4-4-2 set-up with Griezmann and Torres on the bench.
Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri said he was a bit dismayed by Atlético's aggression in yesterday's meeting, telling reporters after the match: "I had a word with Godín afterwards and told him there's no need for those kinds of challenges in friendly game like this. I did apologise. We needed to face rivals like this - Atlético have played two Champions League finals and not by sheer chance".
In Tuesday's other game, Liverpool strolled to a 0-3 victory over a Bayern Munich side who have yet to gel during this pre-season. Klopp's Reds exposed weaknesses in Bayern's defence which looked sluggish and disjointed while new signing James Rodríguez's sole contribution to the match was a second-half strike which whistled wide. Liverpool will also use tonight's game to shuffle the side with Simon Mignolet due to return in place of Loris Karius and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was excellent in his cameo appearance against Bayern vying for a place in the XI. Daniel Sturridge, who came on as a late sub and chipped in a delightful winner, is ruled out after hurting his thigh.
New Audi Cup winners
Torres facing his old club is going to be fascinating, even if he only comes on as a late sub and while this game is merely another chance to enhance both team's pre-season preparations, at least we know that a new name will be etched onto the Audi Cup tonight - a summer tournament which neither Atleti nor Liverpool have ever won.
