A trip to Anfield is one of the hardest away days in football right now. Liverpool are riding high, with an eight-point gap at the top of the Premier League and a perfect record in the Champions League.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men have to face this tough trip head-on. They know a win will go a long way towards securing automatic passage to the round of 16 and avoiding further fixture congestion with a play-off match.
Currently in 21st place on six points, this fixture isn’t necessarily a must-win for Real Madrid seeing as they have two more favourable fixtures to come, but it would certainly make things more straightforward for Los Blancos.
Ancelotti will have a pretty easy time picking his team, as injuries have given him little room for experimentation, but he will have to make one decision regarding his midfielders.
As reported earlier, whether Arda Güler and Dani Ceballos get on the pitch could be the biggest mystery before the line-ups are published.
Elsewhere, the starting XI seems to pick itself, with Ferland Mendy and Luka Modric likely to come back into the picture after a rest at the weekend.
Vinícius is set to be the highest-profile absence for Real Madrid after his recent injury is set to keep him out of action for a few weeks.
Lucas Vázquez is also likely to regain his position at right-back, allowing Federico Valverde to move back forward into midfield.
Real Madrid predicted XI vs Liverpool
Thibaut Courtois – Ferland Mendy, Antonio Rüdiger, Raul Asencio, Lucas Vázquez – Luka Modric, Camavinga, Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Arda Güler – Kylian Mbappé
GSFN | Ciaran Currie