Liverpool v Real Madrid - UCL Preview:
By Sam French
The Preview
Following on from a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa at the weekend, Arne Slot’s side will be looking to build on that with a positive result against Real Madrid at Anfield. It’s a fixture that needs little introduction- with the sides meeting in the Champions League finals in 2018 and 2022. They also faced off in the tournament’s new league phase just last season with the Reds winning 2-0 that night.
Liverpool currently sit in 10th place in the league phase this season, having won two and lost one. Last time out in Europe, it was an emphatic 5-1 away win against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, sit 5th and have won every game. They beat Juventus 1-0 in their last European game. Whilst domestically, Xabi Alonso’s side are 5 points clear at the top of La Liga.
Team News:
Liverpool: Alexander Isak will miss the game as he missed training on Monday. Alisson Becker and Jeremie Frimpong remain out while centre-back Giovanni Leoni is sidelined for the season after ACL surgery. Curtis Jones was pictured in training though so he will give Arne Slot more options in his midfield.
Real Madrid: Centre-backs David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger remain missing through injury, which means Eder Militao and Dean Huijsen should continue their partnership at the heart of the defence. Dani Carvajal hasn’t travelled to Merseyside- he missed Real Madrid’s most recent league game with Valencia through injury. This means that Fede Valverde could start at right-back again as former Reds player Trent Alexander-Arnold is still not fully fit since returning from injury and was an unused substitute in the Valencia game. Andriy Lunin returns to the squad after missing the weekend game in La Liga due to a one-match ban but one player who played at the weekend who miss out is 18 year-old summer signing Franco Mastantuono, who’s been ruled out with a groin injury.
“No, Sunday's game not in my thinking for the lineup, a few days in between where we have a lot of moments where there are only 2 days in between like tomorrow. But for our opponent this season, this is the first time is the same for both teams. So the lineup tomorrow won't have anything to do with Sunday.” - Arne Slot ahead of Real Madrid / Manchester City double-header
Key Players:
Virgil van Dijk:
Liverpool have only conceded 4 goals in the Champions League so far but will need to be at the top of their game to keep the Real Madrid attack quiet. Van Dijk has been a key player for the Reds and has often delivered on the biggest of occasions. Speaking in the build-up to this fixture, and the possibility of lining up against former team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold, he said: “If he plays then we have to make it very difficult for him to do what he's good at.”
Kylian Mbappe:
Kylian Mbappe is a player who has the potential to cause the Reds problems, leading the line with his pace in behind, he’ll be looking to continue his hot form at the start of the season. The Frenchman scored twice at the weekend to take his tally to 18 goals in Real Madrid colours. Mbappé has scored 13 goals in 11 league matches so far this season and only Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more than 13 goals in the first 11 matches of a season.
Predicted Lineups
Liverpool:
Mamardashvili; Bradley, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Ekitike
Real Madrid:
Courtois; Valverde, Militao, Huijsen, A. Carreras; Tchouameni, Camavinga; Arda Guler, Bellingham, Vinicius Jr; Mbappe
Predicted Score:
Liverpool 2-2 Real Madrid