The former Liverpool defender reached the Champions League last-16 with Real Madrid on Wednesday evening
Trent Alexander-Arnold of Real Madrid
Trent Alexander-Arnold has endured a diffciult first season at Real Madrid(Image: David S. Bustamante/Real Madrid via Getty Images)
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Liverpool's route to the latter stages of the Champions League and a potential reunion with former Anfield hero Trent Alexander-Arnold is taking shape. The Reds had already booked safe passage through to the last-16 in Europe after finishing third in the league phase.
They will face either Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray in the next round, with an announcement over their pathway to the final set to be made following the draw on Friday. Alexander-Arnold's Real Madrid earned their passage into the Champions League last-16 after beating Jose Mourinho's Benfica 3-1 on aggregate on Wednesday evening, with Alexander-Arnold playing the full 90 minutes.
Should Liverpool draw the Turkish giants then the Reds could be set on a collision course with Madrid, with a potential meeting between the two in the semi-finals.
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If Liverpool are to play Atletico, then the mouth-watering prospect of Liverpool facing Los Blancos in the final in Budapest becomes a reality. Whoever Liverpool face, Alexander-Arnold could be set to play against his former club once again this season, as long as both sides at the very least battle it out to the semi-finals.
Liverpool and Madrid have already met in this years Champions League with the Reds recording a 1-0 win at Anfield during the league phase. Alexander-Arnold perhaps didn't foresee that he would return to his boyhood club so quickly after joining Madrid in the summer.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah
Trent Alexander-Arnold has faced issues during his first year at Real Madrid(Image: Visionhaus, Visionhaus/Getty Images)
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With the 27-year-old's departure from Anfield a contentious one to say the least, the reception for the right-back at Anfield back in November was perhaps all too predictable.
The full-back began the night on the bench for Madrid. Shortly after Liverpool had taken a 1-0 lead, the crowd was in full flow and they further exercised their vocal cords when Alexander-Arnold came off the bench with 10 minutes remaining.
The England defender has been sharing the right-back berth with Madrid stalwart Dani Carvajal and missed a chunk of the La Liga season through injury. His start from the bench at Anfield didn't come as a surprise.
The former Anfield hero was largely greeted by boos as he eventually made his way onto the pitch. Fans then made a point of singing about club legend Steven Gerrard and Alexander-Arnold's replacement at right-back, Conor Bradley, in a dig to their former favourite.
Upon leaving Liverpool, Alexander-Arnold revealed that he was empathetic to those supporters who failed to see his reasoning for leaving his boyhood side.
"I completely understand the feelings that go with that [leaving Liverpool] and I’ve felt it myself so I completely understand that the news will disappoint a lot of people, will anger people, it will make them upset," he said after making his decision to join Madrid.
Trent Alexander-Arnold following his return to Anfield with Real Madrid
Trent Alexander-Arnold following his return to Anfield with Real Madrid(Image: Getty Images)
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"Obviously that went into the decision as well – it’s something you don’t want to do, you don’t want to ever have these moments where you feel like you’re letting a lot of people down, you’re disappointing a lot of people. But I’ve had to make a decision for me, it’s as simple as that.
"I know the news will take a bit of time to set in and people won’t be happy and they’ll be disappointed. At the end of the day, you can be angry and hurt at me but I just hope that the lads, the rest of the team, the staff, everyone else is able to feel how good a season this has been."
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The 15-time Champions League winners and six-time champions have faced off in two European Cup finals since 2018, with Madrid winning both.
It's more than likely that Liverpool will want to avoid Madrid at any stage in this year's knock-out rounds due to their recent history. However, the wheels look to be in motion for sensational reunion between Alexander-Arnold and Liverpool.