Atlético’s away slump resurfaces on the road to Anfield

Two goals in 135 seconds at the start of the second half exposed Atlético Madrid’s recurring weakness away from home. The 3-0 defeat at Athletic Club raised an alarm before the team’s Champions League opener against Liverpool at Anfield.

The pattern has become familiar. Atlético often emphasizes its strength at the Metropolitano but repeatedly looks vulnerable on the road. After four matches this season, the team has seven points from 12 and its first defeat, just one week after a convincing 3-1 win in Seville.

The numbers underline the problem. Atlético has won only 18 of its last 50 away matches in all competitions, a 36% rate. It has lost 20 and drawn 12. Across those games, it collected 66 of a possible 150 points, or 44%. The team has also failed to score in 11 of the matches and kept a clean sheet in only 14.

The club has scored 78 goals and conceded 74 in those 50 away games. Last season, it conceded five more goals than it scored in 33 away matches, with 53 against 48. Its final away match of the 2025-26 season ended in a 5-1 defeat at Villarreal.

The article notes that Atlético is still forming its identity for the new campaign after a limited preseason for several World Cup players, Julián Alvarez’s failed transfer to Barcelona, Cristian Romero’s late preparation, Alexander Sorloth’s muscle injury and Jonathan David’s late arrival. But it says those circumstances do not excuse the team’s shortcomings, which again appeared in two similar actions in Bilbao.