Key events
Should flag that Bellingham has some heavy strapping on his left knee. Madrid could really do without another injury.
The players are out on the pitch, warming up.
Given the history of Liverpool and Real Madrid and their form in recent years, is this the biggest game in European club football?
This is not the only game tonight, of course. Join John Brewin for the tantalising encounter that is Villa v Juventus.
Gareth Bale is a pundit tonight for TNT. Presenter Laura Woods points out that the Welshman’s record at Anfield is not the best:
“I won when it mattered”, replies Bale.
Two changes for Slot since Liverpool’s win over Southampton. Diaz comes in for Gakpo and Mac Allister replaces Szoboszlai. Trent Alexander-Arnold is back on the bench after recovering from his injury troubles. Conor Bradley is tasked with marking Kylian Mbappé.
What a huge game for Raúl Asencio at centre back for Real Madrid. The 21-year-old makes just his third senior appearance and his first game in the Champions League. There are two changes from the side that beat Leganés: Diaz comes in for the injured Vini Jr, and the evergreen Modric replaces Ceballos.
The teams!
Liverpool: Kelleher, Bradley, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson, Jones, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Salah, Nunez, Diaz.
Subs: Jaros, Davies, Gomez, Endo, Szoboszlai, Gakpo, Elliott, Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Morton.
Real Madrid: Courtois, Valverde, Asencio, Rudiger, Mendy, Modric, Camavinga, Bellingham, Guler, Mbappe, Diaz.
Subs: Lunin, Gonzalez, Endrick, Lucas, Vallejo, Ceballos, Garcia, García, Aguado, de Llanos, Yanez.
Referee: Francois Letexier (France)
Liverpool enquired into signing Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund in 2023, before deciding they could not afford the overall package to sign him. Bellingham has been talking this week about that interest, and his eventual decision to join Madrid.
[Signing for Liverpool] probably wasn’t as close as a lot of the media made out. I had conversations with a few clubs when leaving Borussia Dortmund and making that decision. They gave me permission to speak to a few clubs. All the clubs I spoke to were very respectful of me and my family which was something I really respected. But when Real Madrid come knocking on the door it shakes the whole house. It’s hard not to accept. It’s not a matter the other teams weren’t good or were bad when I spoke to them, it’s just that Real Madrid are on a different level.
Guess who’s back. Back again.
With Vini Jr injured at Leganés, Mbappé switched to his preferred position on the left and the Frenchman will almost certainly occupy the same position this evening. Here’s Sid Lowe to explain a little more.
“If ever a game needed a moniker Clash of the Titans, this would be it,” emails krishnamoorthy. “Real have not been winning of late, it is difficult even to type this statement, which is absurd. The losing streak had to end and what better platform to perform than in the tournament that they own. But then we thought the same about City last night. Real is no City and Liverpool is certainly no Feynoord. I expect a 2-2 draw”.
I also think a score draw is a decent shout, although Madrid’s form and absentees mean Liverpool are favourites tonight.
It’s also worth noting that after the heavy back-to-back defeats against Barcelona and Milan, Madrid have significantly improved of late after Carlo Ancelotti made some changes. Following the 3-1 home defeat to Milan, the Italian announced “We have evaluated the situation with the players. We think we have found the solution. But we need to put that into practice. That is what we are hoping to do, to play differently.”
Since then, Madrid have won 4-0 and 3-0 in La Liga, against Osasuna and Leganés. Liverpool those teams are not, but the results are certainly encouraging.
Here, from the archives just before the 2022 Champions League final (won 1-0 by Madrid), is a more detailed history of the meeting of these two teams.
The last time Madrid travelled to Anfield was in February last year, when Madrid trounced Liverpool 5-2 in the round of 16, despite going 2-0 down. The injured Vini Jr and Karim Benzema, now departed to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia of course, ran the show that night.
Preamble
As games of association football go, they don’t come much bigger than this. The most successful British club in Europe, at one of the most storied grounds in world football, facing off against the most successful European side of all time, with over twice as many European Cups/Champions League titles than the next challenger (Milan). Woof.
Liverpool and Real Madrid have a bit of history and have faced each other six times (across four ties) in the last seven Champions League campaigns, including the 2018 and 2022 finals, with the Spanish side unbeaten across that period. That has got to sting if you are wearing red. The memories of Salah v Ramos, Gareth Bale’s bicycle kick v Loris Karius and Vini Jr/Karim Benzema turning on the style are still raw.
But this is a new era for Liverpool, and a particularly sticky period for Real Madrid. Liverpool have a 100% European record in the new format, while Madrid are currently 21st of the 36 teams at the half-way point of the league phase (formerly known as the group stage). Lose at Anfield, and there is the small possibility that they might not make the top 24 and qualify for the next round.
Moreover, Kylian Mbappé has not yet found his form as a central striker, Jude Bellingham has also not hit the heights of last season after being shunted out on the right and Madrid’s injury list is lenghty: Vini Jr out for a few weeks, while key players Rodrygo, Éder Militão, Dani Carvajal, Lucas Vázquez, Aurélien Tchouaméni and David Alaba are also sidelined.
Liverpool, however, are flying (despite the distraction of Mo Salah’s contract situation) under Arne Slot. There has rarely been a better time to face the famous team in white.
Kick-off: 8pm GMT.
