Group B in the Champions League is shaping up to be a cracker.
Liverpool, Atletico Madrid, Porto and AC Milan all face against each other, with only two able to progress to the knockout stage.
With this level of quality on display, it’s difficult to predict who will come out on top, but maybe history can give us some clues.
Here are the previous meetings between these sides.
Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid
Liverpool fans won’t have happy memories of their last meeting with Diego Simeone’s side.
In one of the last games before lockdown, the Reds were eliminated from the Champions League.
Atletico emerged victorious in the home leg thanks to a fourth-minute goal by Saul Niguez.
But defending a lead at Anfield is a daunting task. It all seemed set up for another classic European night.
And that’s how it was going for 95 minutes. Georginio Wijnaldum levelled the aggregate score to take things to extra time, and Jurgen Klopp’s men were on course to progress when Roberto Firmino put them ahead.
But a miskick by stand-in goalkeeper Adrian gave Marcos Llorente the chance to pull one back and put his side ahead on away goals.
Then, just before half-time, the Spaniard bagged another, leaving Liverpool needing two in the final 15 minutes.
They were unable to close the gap, and Alvaro Morata compounded their misery with a third in injury time.
And this isn’t the only time that Los Rojiblancos have managed to silence Anfield. In the 2009/10 edition of the Europa League, both sides clashed in the semi-finals. The tie was almost a perfect replica of what we saw in 2020.
The La Liga side came to Merseyside with a 1-0 lead thanks to an early goal by Diego Forlan but were pegged back just before half-time by Alberto Aquilani.
Liverpool were on track to reach the final when Yossi Benayoun put them ahead in extra time, but another strike by Forlan levelled the aggregate score, and Atletico went through on away goals. They later won the final against Fulham, thanks to Forlan’s brace.
However, Liverpool’s history with Atletico hasn’t been all doom and gloom.
The most recent of their six European triumphs came at the Wanda Metropolitano, defeating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in 2019 thanks to goals by Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi.
AC Milan vs Porto
AC Milan and Porto most recently faced each other in the UEFA Super Cup in 2003.
Milan came in off the back of a Champions League triumph, while Porto, managed by an up-and-coming Jose Mourinho, had just won the UEFA Cup. The game finished 1-0 to the Rossoneri, with a goal by Andriy Shevchenko in the tenth minute.
They were more common opponents in the 90s, being drawn against each other in the group stages on three separate occasions.
In the 1992/93 campaign, they met, with Milan winning both games 1-0 thanks to goals by Jean-Pierre Papin and Stefano Iranio respectively.
The following year, they battled again. The Italian side won the home game 3-0, and the second fixture finished goalless.
But Porto managed to have a bit more joy in the 1996/97 season when they clashed again in the group stages.
They came away from the San Siro as 3-2 winners and drew the reverse fixture 1-1.
Liverpool vs AC Milan
With 13 European cup titles between them, Liverpool and Milan are two of the most decorated clubs in the history of the competition.
So it may come as a surprise to learn that they have only ever faced each other twice. However, there are no prizes for naming the two fixtures.
The first clash came in the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul, in what is known as one of the most iconic football matches of all time.
The Reds went into the game as huge underdogs and found themselves 3-0 down at half-time courtesy of a brace by Hernan Crespo and a strike by Paolo Maldini.
But six hectic second-half minutes managed to turn the game on its head. Steven Gerrard headed home to pull one back, and Vladimir Smicer struck from outside the box to really make things interesting.
Then, when Gerrard was brought down by Gennaro Gattuso, Xabi Alonso converted on the rebound after his penalty was saved.
Goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek ended up being the hero for the Premier League team, firstly making a miraculous save from Andriy Shevchenko at close range and then keeping out two penalties in the shootout to seal the trophy.
The Italian club would get their revenge two years later in Athens. Filippo Inzaghi was the saviour this time, netting a brace in a 2-1 win in the final.
The first was rather fortunate, as Andrea Pirlo’s free-kick deflected in off the forward. The second was a beautiful finish after being played through on goal by Kaka.
Dirk Kuyt bundled one in in the 89th minute to ensure a nervy finish, but Carlo Ancelotti’s men held out for the crown.
Atletico Madrid vs Porto
The last meeting between Atletico and Porto came in the 2013/14 group stage. It was a tough test for the Dragons, who were unable on the losing side in both fixtures.
The first one was won 2-1 by the La Liga team, thanks to a late goal by Arda Turan, and the reverse fixture finished 2-0 with first-half goals from Raul Garcia and Diego Costa.
Porto were eliminated in the group phase, while Atletico reached the final and were seconds away from winning it.
But Porto will have better memories of the four times they faced each other in 2009. They matched in the round of 16, during which the Portuguese club came out on top on away goals.
And then they were drawn in the same group in the 2009/10 Champions League campaign.
Future Atletico player Radamel Falcao scored in both fixtures as Porto emerged with two wins. They finished second in the group, while their opponents dropped down to the Europa League.
Liverpool vs Porto
Porto are a side that Liverpool enjoy facing. From their eight previous meetings, they have not lost a single one, winning five.
This is the third time in the last four years that they have been drawn against each other.
They clashed in the round of 16 in 2018, with the Reds winning 5-0 on aggregate. Sadio Mane scored a hat-trick at the Estadio do Dragao, with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino adding to the scoreline.
And in 2019, they met in the quarter-finals. Klopp’s men again won by five goals. Firmino scored in both legs, with Salah, Mane, Naby Keita and Virgil van Dijk all getting in on the action, while Eder Militao bagged a consolation.
Atletico Madrid vs AC Milan
Simeone’s side came up against Milan in their road to the 2014 final, knocking them out in the round of 16.
The first leg in Italy was a close affair, but Los Rojiblancos took home a slender lead due to a late goal by Diego Costa.
And the striker was on top form again in the return leg, bagging a brace in a 4-1 win. Arda Turan and Raul Garcia also scored, and Kaka got the Rossoneri’s only goal.
Champions League Group A previous meetings: Man City and PSG clash in group of death,
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