Who: Liverpool vs Real Madrid
What: UEFA Champions League group stage
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
When: Tuesday at 8pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.
Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso returns to Anfield to face his former side in the UEFA Champions League after a nearly immaculate start to life in the Spanish capital.
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While Premier League champions Liverpool have just two wins in their last eight games, Alonso’s Madrid are on a high, transformed from last season and improving weekly under the Basque manager.
Madrid’s only defeat this season came in a 5-2 derby humiliation by Atletico Madrid, and Alonso’s side have rebounded since. Last weekend in La Liga, the 15-time European champions beat Clasico rivals Barcelona.
While Arne Slot’s Liverpool have struggled in recent weeks, a 2-0 win over Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday – including a goal for out-of-sorts star Mohamed Salah – should give them a confidence boost as they welcome Los Blancos to Anfield.
Alonso shaping new Real Madrid
Many Liverpool fans hoped Alonso would take the reins at Anfield when Jurgen Klopp announced he would leave the club at the end of the 2023-2024 season.
As a player, Alonso, elegant on the ball, was the brains of Liverpool’s midfield from 2004 to 2009. He was key to the 2005 Champions League triumph in Istanbul and won the FA Cup among other silverware before departing for Real Madrid.
As a coach, Alonso stayed for an extra year at Bayer Leverkusen and then stepped into Carlo Ancelotti’s shoes after Madrid ended last season without a major trophy.
He has made a quick impact at the Santiago Bernabeu with Madrid winning 13 of their 14 matches this season.
Ancelotti found it hard to make his star-studded attack press opponents, but Alonso’s side have greater intensity without the ball and are more sturdy.
“To win trophies, you have to defend well, obtaining many clean sheets,” Alonso said as Madrid secured their seventh win of the season in a 4-0 rout of Valencia on Saturday.
Alonso has also shown his willingness to make tactical shifts during games and between matches whereas Ancelotti’s side were more predictable.
The coach decided his team will train before heading to Merseyside, so Liverpool get no clues to how he will approach the match.
“It’s my decision [not to train at Anfield]. We prefer to do it at home, in our space, so they don’t put 200 cameras on us,” Alonso said.
Mbappe thrives while Vinicius Jr fumes
French striker Kylian Mbappe missed a penalty last season at Anfield as Madrid fell to a 2-0 defeat. It was a low point as he struggled for confidence before rediscovering his form later in the season.
This season, Mbappe already has 18 goals in all competitions while adding pressing to his game at the behest of Alonso.
Another revitalised player is England international Jude Bellingham. With goals against Barcelona, Juventus and Valencia in the past couple of weeks, the midfielder is becoming key to Alonso’s side.
However, not all of Alonso’s stars have been in a sparkling disposition. Winger Vinicius Jr showed his frustration with his coach publicly during El Clasico, storming off in a fit of histrionics when substituted.
The Brazilian made a public apology to the fans and the club without mentioning his coach although Alonso said the matter was resolved, and Vinicius Jr impressed against Valencia despite missing a penalty.
Alexander-Arnold unsure what reception awaits
Madrid right back Trent Alexander-Arnold could face a rancorous reception when he returns to Anfield but said no amount of hostility from fans could dampen his love for his boyhood club.
His decision not to sign a new deal at the club last season prompted an angry response from many Liverpool supporters who jeered him in a Premier League game against Arsenal in May after he said he wanted to experience a new challenge.
“I think whichever way I am received is the decision of the fans,” Alexander-Arnold told Amazon Prime on Sunday. “I will always love the club. I will always be a fan of the club.
“No matter what, my feelings won’t change towards Liverpool. I have got memories there that will last me a lifetime, and no matter how I am received, that won’t change.”
Slot says luck finally on Liverpool’s side
Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Aston Villa ended a four-game Premier League losing streak that had piled pressure on the Reds.
Salah became the third player in Liverpool history to score 250 goals when he struck in first-half injury time, and Ryan Gravenberch scored in the second half after missing three games with an ankle injury in only their second win in eight matches across all competitions.
“The margins are small every single game. Today after five minutes, they [Morgan Rogers] hit the post,” Slot told BBC Match of the Day. “We didn’t concede [from] a set piece, which was helpful, but also we got a bit lucky, which hasn’t happened recently. Our second goal was a deflection.”
“When [Villa] hit the post, that was their biggest chance. The last few weeks, every time that ball went in, now it didn’t.”
Looking ahead to the clash with Madrid, Slot said: “You always look forward to a Champions League night. Against Real Madrid it is even more special. It is a challenge but a challenge to look forward to.”
Head-to-head
The two storied clubs first locked horns in the 1981 European Cup final, which Liverpool edged 1-0.
They have now played each other 12 times with Madrid winning seven of those games, Liverpool winning four and one ending as a draw.
While Madrid have won seven of the last nine encounters, Liverpool triumphed the last time the two sides met – a 2-0 win at Anfield in November last year in the group stage of the Champions League.
Liverpool’s team news
Record signing Alexander Isak and versatile midfielder Curtis Jones both missed Saturday’s win over Aston Villa with groin issues and are major doubts for the game against Madrid.
First-choice keeper Alisson Becker remains sidelined with a hamstring issue, but Liverpool have an able deputy in Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Right back Jeremy Frimpong has also been ruled out with a hamstring problem while central defender Giovanni Leoni is a long-term absentee with a torn ACL.
Florian Wirtz and Milosz Kerkez were benched for the Villa game, and it’s likely Slot will stick with their replacements Alexis Mac Allister and Andy Robertson for Madrid’s visit.
Real Madrid’s team news
Los Blancos likely travel to Merseyside without the services of three key defenders.
Dani Carvajal and Antonio Rudiger have been ruled out with knee and muscle injuries, respectively, while David Alaba has been struggling with a calf issue – although he has a slim chance of being passed fit for Tuesday’s game.
In Carvajal’s absence, Alexander-Arnold is set to be handed a start against his former club.
Liverpool’s predicted starting lineup
Mamardashvili; Bradley, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Ekitike
