Contract talks have dominated discussions ahead of Liverpool's Champions League campaign kicking off.

Andoni Iraola's first Champions League adventure begins with Liverpool hosting Atletico Madrid. The Reds boss welcomes Diego Simeone's side on Wednesday night in a repeat of last year's fixture at Anfield, which the home side came out on top in a 3-2 victory.

The Spaniard will certainly hope history will repeat itself in what is expected to be a cauldron of noise as the Reds kick off their European campaign. The Premier League side are coming off their first win of the season after defeating Ipswich Town 2-0, courtesy of Alexander Isak's brace.

Bradley Barcola made his debut at Portman Road after his £123million move was confirmed from Paris Saint-Germain. The Frenchman has since been dealt a blow, while Iraola has been hit with one of his star players opening up about their future.

Barcola snubbed

The France international was not among the 30 players nominated for the Ballon d'Or. The list was released on Tuesday, with Barcola's absence ranking among the biggest surprises, alongside his former PSG team-mate, Desire Doue.

The Champions League holders had a remarkable 10 players on the list, including summer signing Ferran Torres. Barcola, 24, enjoyed a fruitful last season in France, scoring 13 goals and contributing 7 assists in 49 games across all competitions.

Liverpool's disappointing defence of their Premier League title last season, while going trophy-less, meant that the club was not represented among the nominees.

Mac Allister 'sad'

Alexis Mac Allister was the player who joined Iraola in Tuesday's pre-match press conference and the midfielder stunningly revealed he had options to leave the club in the summer while also admitting he was 'very sad' about the fact he has not been offered a new contract.

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 asked to respond to the 27-year-old's comments, Iraola said: "For me, the most important thing is that Alexis wants to be here." The Reds boss was then quizzed on whether he discussed the contract situation with Mac Allister himself, to which he explained: "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."