Despite their win over Aston Villa, Arne Slott’s side face an uphill battle against in-form Real Madrid in a tight Champions League clash at Anfield on Tuesday night.
This was the match everyone had been waiting for, but it came at an inopportune moment for Liverpool.
When the group stages of the Champions League were decided, it seemed inevitable that Trent Alexander-Arnold would have to return to Anfield with Real Madrid. However, there was no way to know the situation of the match.
Real should be aware of the challenges that await them, as they lost 2-0 on Merseyside last November. Still, they emerge as favorites to win on Tuesday night thanks to their own impressive form and Liverpool’s erratic performance.
Arne Slott’s side beat Aston Villa 2-0 on Saturday night, snapping a four-game losing streak in the Premier League, and beat Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 in their last Champions League game, but weaknesses are still evident.
So will Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappé face even more dire circumstances? Or can Slott and his players put in a commanding performance against Real and build on Villa’s victory? Mirror Football reporters weighed in.
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sam mead
I don’t think Liverpool have turned a corner after beating Aston Villa at the weekend, and Real face a difficult task. The Spanish giants have won 10 of 11 La Liga matches and are often active in the Champions League.
Real have won all three of their games in Europe so far and return to Anfield with a number of subplots. They lost to Liverpool last season, but have returned with former Red Xavi Alonso as manager and, most notably, Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Liverpool have also won many times in Europe, but their aura has suffered greatly and they are still trying to find a winning formula. Real, on the other hand, are getting even better and Mbappe is in great form.
This has the makings of a perfect away day job in the Champions League, hitting a team looking to break out of a rut and with some former Liverpool icons potentially enjoying a return home.
Liverpool 0-1 Real Madrid
james whaling
After a dismal showing, at least domestically, Liverpool appeared to have turned a corner of sorts with their win over Aston Villa. But they had a comfortable win over Eintracht Frankfurt on their last European trip, and we know what a big Champions League night at Anfield will bring to mind.
This is definitely one of them. The return of Trent Alexander-Arnold will add spice to the proceedings if he is introduced from the start. However, they will not have an easy night as they will face one of the best in Europe in Real Madrid.
Defensively, there are still doubts, and the likes of Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe will be left licking their lips. But I hope Liverpool get something out of this game.
Liverpool 1-1 Real Madrid
Felix Keith
I subscribe to the idea of Anfield experiencing the magic of a European night under the lights, and I was pretty impressed with their response against Villa on Sunday, so I’m backing Liverpool to add another famous win to their history.
This should be an interesting game, but in my mind there’s no way Liverpool can keep a clean sheet. Vinicius Junior and Mbappe will certainly suffer from an incredibly unstable backline. However, Liverpool showed they have plenty of options going forward by defeating Frankfurt by five points in their final Champions League match.
Mohamed Salah has scored in his last two games, Kodi Gakpo is an underrated threat on the other side and Hugo Ekitike has looked dangerous every time I’ve seen him this season. I’m aiming for a hilarious end-to-end game that ends with drama from set pieces. Causing chaos at Anfield.
Liverpool 3-2 Real Madrid
Tom Victor
Liverpool looked a little better against Aston Villa, but they still look vulnerable against a team of Real Madrid’s quality. Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate look vulnerable and could give an advantage to attacking opponents with speed and smarts.
Arne Slott’s side haven’t had too many problems scoring goals this season, and with a rotation-heavy squad, the club’s departures will be largely negligible. Real Madrid have struggled to break through in Europe, but there are occasional vulnerabilities in the league that the likes of Mo Salah and Hugo Ekitike could exploit.
As is often the case this season, the question is, “Who can score the most points?” Things have changed since this time last year, when the only battle was “who can score” because of the Reds’ defensive prowess. Despite Slott’s talent in Europe, his team may fall a little short this time around.
Liverpool 1-2 Real Madrid
daniel ohm
This will be far from a bye as Liverpool are still a very talented team despite the result. The Reds have a squad that can go toe-to-toe with the Spanish giants and have enough attacking power to really worry Xabi Alonso’s side.
The only problem is that Liverpool are playing against probably the best team in Europe right now. Real have only lost once in the league all season, scoring 26 goals along the way.
Given the defensive vulnerabilities that Liverpool seem to have revealed this season, it’s difficult to see if they can stop them. Of course, there will be an underlying spat between Vinicius Junior and manager Alonso, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him find the back of the net at Anfield. Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappé would be a good bet to extend his impressive form on Merseyside.
Liverpool 1-2 Real Madrid
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