Liverpool 2-0 Aston Villa: Match Review
Liverpool prepare to face Real Madrid in the Champions League at Anfield.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to feature on the bench when he returns to Anfield for the first time, reports suggest.
The right-back will face Liverpool for the first time since his controversial exit at the end of last season when Real Madrid face the Reds in the Champions League tonight. Despite being from the city and a boyhood supporter, Alexander-Arnold opted to run his contract down and join Real Madrid.
The England international won eight major trophies at the Reds, including two Premier League titles and the Champions League. But Liverpool banked just £10 million from a major European rival - and that was only because Madrid wanted Alexander-Arnold to be involved in their squad for the expanded Club World Cup.
Marca reports the expected Madrid team
However, Alexander-Arnold has had a soft launch to his career in the Spanish capital. He has made only five appearances so far and has recently recovered from a hamstring injury. The 27-year-old has been an unused substitute for the past two games. And according to Spanish outlet Marca, Alexander-Arnold will again be on the bench as Real boss Xabi Alonso will name the same team that beat Barcelona 2-1 in El Clasico ‘barring any surprises’.
It means that Federico Valverde will continue to operate as a makeshift right-back, with Los Blancos captain Dani Carvajal undergoing surgery after the Barca triumph and Eduardo Camavinga - who has been linked with a move to Liverpool - will return to the midfield. In addition, it’s said that Jude Bellingham will play in a more advanced midfield role ‘closer to Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe’.
Real Madrid line-up vs Barca: Courtois, Valverde, Militao, Carreras, Guller, Tchouameni, Camavinga, Vinicius, Bellingham, Mbappe.
Alonso on Alexander-Arnold
Alonso has insisted that Alexander-Arnold is able to feature for Madrid if needed following his hamstring injury. The former Liverpool midfielder, part of the 2005 Champions League-winning squad, said at his pre-match press conference: “He's fine, he's available, and the other day he didn't play because of the context of the game. He can play and after his injury, we need him because he has great quality.
“It's a new stage for him both on a sporting and personal level and we have to help him and give him what he needs to perform because he's an exceptional footballer that we have in this squad. He has to enjoy this game in his own way. His story is different to mine. He was born here. I remember when he was a little boy and he was in the academy. It's nice to be back and it's going to be nice for him.”
On his own return to Anfield, Alonso - who played for Liverpool between 2004-2009 - said: “I try not to let emotions get the better of me too much because I want to stay focused for the game and approach it the same way we do every game. I don't want that to change my preparation or the connection with the players or what we have to do. Whatever has to happen will happen, but I try to distance myself a bit from the emotionality that these games sometimes have when I come here or to Anoeta.”
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