Key occasions
Gareth Bale is a pundit tonight for TNT. Presenter Laura Woods factors out that the Welshman’s file at Anfield isn’t the very best:
“I received when it mattered”, replies Bale.
Two adjustments for Slot since Liverpool’s win over Southampton. Diaz is available in for Gakpo and Mac Allister replaces Szoboszlai. Trent Alexander-Arnold is again on the bench after recovering from his damage troubles. Conor Bradley is tasked with marking Kylian Mbappé.
What an enormous sport for Raúl Asencio at centre again for Actual Madrid. The 21-year-old makes simply his third senior look and his first sport within the Champions League. There are two adjustments from the aspect that beat Leganés: Diaz is available in for the injured Vini Jr, and the evergreen Modric replaces Ceballos.
The groups!
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.
Actual 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, earlier than deciding they might not afford the general bundle to signal him. Bellingham has been speaking this week about that curiosity, and his eventual resolution to hitch Madrid.
[Signing for Liverpool] most likely wasn’t as shut as loads of the media made out. I had conversations with just a few golf equipment when leaving Borussia Dortmund and making that call. They gave me permission to talk to a couple golf equipment. All of the golf equipment I spoke to have been very respectful of me and my household which was one thing I actually revered. However when Actual Madrid come knocking on the door it shakes the entire home. It’s laborious to not settle for. It’s not a matter the opposite groups weren’t good or have been dangerous after I spoke to them, it’s simply that Actual Madrid are on a special stage.
Guess who’s again. Again once more.
With Vini Jr injured at Leganés, Mbappé switched to his most popular place on the left and the Frenchman will nearly definitely occupy the identical place this night. Right here’s Sid Lowe to clarify a bit of extra.
“If ever a sport wanted a moniker Conflict of the Titans, this could be it,” emails krishnamoorthy. “Actual haven’t been profitable of late, it’s tough even to kind this assertion, which is absurd. The dropping streak needed to finish and what higher platform to carry out than within the match that they personal. However then we thought the identical about Metropolis final night time. Actual isn’t any Metropolis and Liverpool is definitely no Feynoord. I count on a 2-2 draw”.
I additionally assume a rating draw is a good shout, though Madrid’s type and absentees imply Liverpool are favourites tonight.
It’s additionally value noting that after the heavy back-to-back defeats towards Barcelona and Milan, Madrid have considerably improved of late after Carlo Ancelotti made some adjustments. Following the 3-1 residence defeat to Milan, the Italian introduced “We’ve evaluated the state of affairs with the gamers. We expect we now have discovered the answer. However we have to put that into follow. That’s what we hope to do, to play in another way.”
Since then, Madrid have received 4-0 and 3-0 in La Liga, towards Osasuna and Leganés. Liverpool these groups aren’t, however the outcomes are definitely encouraging.
Right here, from the archives simply earlier than the 2022 Champions League closing (received 1-0 by Madrid), is a extra detailed historical past of the assembly of those two groups.
The final time Madrid travelled to Anfield was in February final 12 months, when Madrid trounced Liverpool 5-2 within the spherical of 16, regardless of going 2-0 down. The injured Vini Jr and Karim Benzema, now departed to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia after all, ran the present that night time.
Preamble
As video games of affiliation soccer go, they don’t come a lot larger than this. Probably the most profitable British membership in Europe, at one of the vital storied grounds in world soccer, going through off towards essentially the most profitable European aspect of all time, with over twice as many European Cups/Champions League titles than the subsequent challenger (Milan). Woof.
Liverpool and Actual Madrid have a little bit of historical past and have confronted one another six occasions (throughout 4 ties) within the final seven Champions League campaigns, together with the 2018 and 2022 finals, with the Spanish aspect unbeaten throughout that interval. That has obtained to sting if you’re carrying pink. The reminiscences of Salah v Ramos, Gareth Bale’s bicycle kick v Loris Karius and Vini Jr/Karim Benzema turning on the type are nonetheless uncooked.
However it is a new period for Liverpool, and a very sticky interval for Actual Madrid. Liverpool have a 100% European file within the new format, whereas Madrid are at present twenty first of the 36 groups on the half-way level of the league section (previously generally known as the group stage). Lose at Anfield, and there’s the small chance that they may not make the highest 24 and qualify for the subsequent spherical.
Furthermore, Kylian Mbappé has not but discovered his type as a central striker, Jude Bellingham has additionally not hit the heights of final season after being shunted out on the suitable and Madrid’s damage record is lenghty: Vini Jr out for just a few weeks, whereas key gamers Rodrygo, Éder Militão, Dani Carvajal, Lucas Vázquez, Aurélien Tchouaméni and David Alaba are additionally sidelined.
Liverpool, nevertheless, are flying (regardless of the distraction of Mo Salah’s contract state of affairs) beneath Arne Slot. There has hardly ever been a greater time to face the well-known workforce in white.
Kick-off: 8pm GMT.
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