Could it really be written in the stars for Liverpool?
The Reds have made the perfect start to their 2026/27 Champions League campaign, coming from behind to beat Atlético Madrid 2-1 at Anfield. Marcos Llorente gave the visitors the lead, but Liverpool responded through Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister to secure three valuable points.
A particularly impressive second half, it has to be said, from Jamie Carragher’s perspective on CBS Sports (via CaughtOffside): “Second half, I really liked what I saw. Didn’t like first half. But second half felt like a team, felt like it was together, felt like it was compact.
“You can have the best defenders in the world; if your team isn’t compact and together, you’ll concede goals. And that’s what we saw last season.
“Liverpool conceded 78 goals last season, and they conceded a goal today in the first half because they weren’t compact. And they’ve got Virgil van Dijk playing. But second half it felt like it was a team.”
On its own, one victory against a strong Atlético side does not make Liverpool Champions League favourites. However, there is something rather intriguing about the timing of it. The 2026/27 campaign marks 50 years since Liverpool lifted the European Cup for the first time, and their current squad has the talent to make another serious run at European football’s biggest prize.
Could history repeat itself?
Liverpool’s European history began to reach another level in the 1970s under Bob Paisley, and 1977 was the year they finally conquered Europe.
The Reds faced Borussia Mönchengladbach in the European Cup final at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico on 25 May 1977. Terry McDermott put Liverpool ahead before Allan Simonsen equalised for the German side, but Tommy Smith restored Liverpool’s advantage before Phil Neal converted a penalty to seal a 3-1 victory.
It was the first of Liverpool’s European Cup triumphs and the beginning of an extraordinary period of dominance in European competition.
Now, exactly half a century later, Liverpool are attempting to build another European legacy.
A comeback victory against Atlético Madrid might not mean much in isolation, but it is certainly an encouraging opening chapter.
One of the most interesting aspects of Liverpool’s season is that their Champions League prospects could actually be stronger than their Premier League prospects.
On the major football betting sites, Liverpool sit behind Real Madrid, Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City in the outright market, but this doesn’t mean they should be completely discounted.
A genuine title challenge domestically looks unlikely, particularly when compared with some of the strongest teams in the league like Arsenal and Manchester City. Over the course of a long campaign, consistency is everything. Injuries, squad depth, dropped points against supposedly weaker opponents and the demands of playing every few days can make a title challenge incredibly difficult.
Cup competitions are different.
A team does not need to be the best side in Europe over nine months. It needs to produce its best football at the right moments.
That could suit Liverpool.
Their squad contains plenty of attacking quality and players capable of changing a match in an instant. The arrival of players such as Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola has added further options in the final third, while the comeback against Atlético demonstrated that Liverpool have the character to respond when things go against them.
That combination of talent, experience and attacking depth could make Liverpool a particularly dangerous knockout-stage opponent.
There was plenty to like about Liverpool’s performance against Atlético.
They did not have everything their own way. Atlético took the lead and were able to cause problems, but Liverpool did not panic. Instead, they gradually found a way back into the game before taking control.
Szoboszlai’s equaliser gave Anfield renewed belief, while Mac Allister’s second-half strike completed the turnaround.
Importantly, it was not simply the result that stood out. Liverpool showed the sort of resilience that can become invaluable in the Champions League.
Knockout football regularly produces moments when a team is forced to respond to adversity. Going behind early in a home match against Atlético is hardly the ideal scenario, yet Liverpool recovered and claimed all three points.
If they can reproduce that mentality when the stakes become even higher, they could be difficult to eliminate.
Football fans love a good storyline, and Liverpool have certainly been handed one.
In 1977, they travelled to Rome and beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-1 to win their first European Cup. Fifty years later, they have begun another European campaign with a comeback victory at Anfield.
Of course, anniversaries do not win football matches.
Liverpool cannot rely on history, coincidence or sentiment to win the Champions League. The competition contains some of the best teams in the world, and the knockout stages will provide considerably tougher tests than Atlético.
But there is something appealing about the possibility.
Liverpool have already won the European Cup and Champions League six times. Another triumph would move them to seven and further strengthen their position among Europe’s greatest clubs.
Perhaps the biggest reason to believe Liverpool could go deep into the competition is that their European campaign could become one of the main focuses of their season.
If the Premier League title race begins to move beyond them, the Champions League could take on even greater importance.
That can create a dangerous situation for Liverpool’s opponents.
Rather than carrying the pressure of having to win the league every week, Liverpool could approach Champions League knockout matches knowing that this is where their season can be defined.
And with a talented squad capable of producing moments of individual brilliance, they could become a classic cup team.
The Atlético victory is only the beginning, but it has already given Liverpool supporters plenty of reasons to dream.
Fifty years after Rome, could another European adventure be about to begin?
If Liverpool lift the Champions League trophy in 2027, the symmetry would be almost too perfect. From their first European Cup triumph in 1977 to a potential seventh in 2027, it would be another unforgettable chapter in the club’s remarkable European history.
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