Liverpool news: Bradley Barcola brutally snubbed as star makes very sad confession

 Andoni Iraola will take charge of his first Champions League match as Liverpool manager when the Reds welcome Atletico Madrid tonight. The former Bournemouth boss will get his first experience of Anfield on a European night, with what is a repeat of one of last season's League Phase fixtures.

He remains unbeaten as Liverpool boss, and picked up a maiden win against Ipswich Town on Friday night. The win also marked the first appearance for new £123million man Bradley Barcola, who arrived from Paris Saint-Germain in the final week of the summer transfer window.

He'll be looking to make an immediate impact when Atletico make the journey to Merseyside, not least because the Frenchman was left out of Tuesday's Ballon d'Or nominations.

Barcola was part of the PSG team that won back-to-back Champions League titles last term, but that wasn't enough to earn him a spot on the shortlist.

'Very sad' announcement

Meanwhile, Alexis Mac Allister, who accompanied Iraola at Tuesday's pre-match media briefing, made the startling revelation that he considered departing the club during the summer window, while also confessing he felt 'very sad' following the absence of a contract extension offer.

He said: "There was a chance (I could leave), of course, as everyone knows. I received the news that the club was not in a position to offer me a new contract, which makes me very, very sad because everyone can see I give 100 per cent for this football club every single day in training. I always give my best."

When pressed to address the 27-year-old's remarks, Iraola said: "For me, the most important thing is that Alexis wants to be here."

The Reds manager was subsequently questioned on whether he'd personally discussed the contractual matter with Mac Allister, responding: "No. I try to help all my players. I hope I can improve my players so I can help them win games. Same with Alexis and everyone else. I'm very happy with Alexis and his performances, especially on Friday. I hope I can help him to improve. He's a very good player."

After the mid-week encounter against Atletico, it's back to Premier League action for Liverpool, with a Saturday afternoon meeting with Fulham to come this weekend. After that, Tottenham will follow in the League Cup, before Liverpool finish up before the international break with a visit to Iraola's old team, Bournemouth.