Atletico Madrid player can’t play against Liverpool in Champions League because of a strange rule
An Atletico Madrid player won’t be able to play against Liverpool in the Champions League because of a strange rule.
Liverpool kick off their Champions League season on Wednesday night, hosting Atletico Madrid at Anfield. Julian Alvarez, one of the big stars, is expected to play. But one Atletico player won’t be able to join the action because of a surprising situation.
With teams like Man City, Real Madrid, and Aston Villa all winning their opening games, both Liverpool and Atletico Madrid will be eager to start with a win. It’s a bit of a setback for Liverpool too, as their star winger Cody Gakpo missed training earlier this week as a precaution.
However, Atletico Madrid also have a player missing. Manager Diego Simeone had to leave out left winger Arnau Ortiz from the squad traveling to Anfield. Ortiz has played in three of Atletico’s four league games this season and is healthy, but he can’t play because of an old ban from two years ago.
Here’s why: back in August 2024, when Ortiz was playing for Polish team Slask Wroclaw in the UEFA Conference League, he was sent off in a game after getting two yellow cards. That meant he was banned for his next European match. But because Slask Wroclaw lost and got knocked out, Ortiz didn’t get the chance to serve that suspension—until now. Since joining Atletico’s reserve team in September 2025 and then moving up to the first team, he will finally serve that ban by missing the game at Anfield.
Simeone will also be without Alexander Sorloth, and young forward Miguel Cubo isn’t in the squad either. This means Alvarez, who recently played his first game since a tricky summer transfer, is expected to start against Liverpool.
There’s another odd twist: Liverpool and Atletico actually won’t be allowed to play the exact same home-and-away matchup next season if they both qualify for the Champions League again. UEFA has a new rule that stops the same match from happening at the same venue three seasons in a row. Since Liverpool and Atletico played at Anfield last year, if they meet again, it will have to be at Atletico’s stadium instead.
So, while the game promises to be exciting, both teams are dealing with some unusual rules and situations ahead of the clash.