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Preview: Xabi Alonso’s Los Blancos on revenge mission to Anfield

Preview: Xabi Alonso’s Los Blancos on revenge mission to Anfield

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Liverpool host Real Madrid in a high-octane Champions League clash on Tuesday night.

By Filip Mishov

The Reds ease their crisis with the in-form Spaniards coming next

Liverpool’s win against Aston Villa relieved some pressure on Arne Slot, as the reigning champions ended their four-match losing run in the Premier League ahead of an important week with a couple of blockbuster matches before November’s international break. Even though the Reds did not really shine at Anfield, with the Villans enjoying a lot of possession (47%) or the most by any opponent over their past five matches, it was still an encouraging performance and much-needed confidence booster in the build-up to Real Madrid’s visit.

The leaders of LaLiga travel to Merseyside full of confidence after Xabi Alonso‘s in-form squad saw off Valencia at the Bernabéu over the weekend and in the aftermath of that Clásico win over Barcelona. Also, the 15-time European champions are one of only five clubs with a flawless record in the Champions League so far and have lost only once this season across all competitions, recording 13 wins in the process.

However, the Spanish coach did not enjoy his Anfield homecoming last season, as the popular Xabi was on the losing side with Bayer Leverkusen, and additionally, Real Madrid were also defeated without scoring in last year’s league phase, which speaks volumes about Anfield evolving into a different beast on big European nights.

Key players

Ryan Gravenberch started and starred in the victory against Villa after the tenacious midfielder recovered from injury. The Dutch international was instrumental in the middle of the pitch, both in protecting the defence and in the build-up play, with the 23-year-old capping off his Player of the Match performance with a goal, earning him a FotMob rating of 8.5. Also, it is not a coincidence that the Reds’ three clean sheets this season have all come with Gravenberch in their starting XI.

Another unsung hero is shining brightly in Madrid, as Alvaro Carreras scored his debut goal over the weekend with a scorcher from the edge of the box, and the Spaniard’s stock is rising with each passing week. The tireless full-back has played more minutes than any other outfield player for Madrid during this campaign, starting all but one match and quickly establishing himself as one of the first names on the team sheet. With the former Manchester United left-back being in impressive form and averaging a FotMob rating of 7.52 in LaLiga, a debut call-up to the national team is a matter of when and not if, but first, the 22-year-old awaits his most difficult test to date: Man marking Mohamed Salah.

Team news

Arne Slot welcomed Curtis Jones back to first-team training, but Alexander Isak missed out and the most expensive signing in Liverpool’s history remains on the sidelines, with Alisson Becker and Jeremie Frimpong also out.

Arda Güler came off at half-time against Valencia as a precaution, but made the trip to England, unlike Franco Mastantuono who is not part of the travelling squad. The captain, Daniel Carvajal is set to be out for a number of weeks, which opens the door for Trent Alexander-Arnold to get some minutes on his Anfield homecoming, while Antonio Rüdiger and David Alaba are on the sidelines.

Prediction

Undoubtedly, the momentum is on Real Madrid’s side and with Xabi Alonso being a quick learner who boasts the free-firing Kylian Mbappé in the squad, I expect the visitors to come out victorious on Merseyside.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Champions League with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, player ratings. Download the free app here.

Preview: Xabi Alonso’s Los Blancos on revenge mission to Anfield

Liverpool host Real Madrid in a high-octane Champions League clash on Tuesday night.

By Filip Mishov

The Reds ease their crisis with the in-form Spaniards coming next

Liverpool’s win against Aston Villa relieved some pressure on Arne Slot, as the reigning champions ended their four-match losing run in the Premier League ahead of an important week with a couple of blockbuster matches before November’s international break. Even though the Reds did not really shine at Anfield, with the Villans enjoying a lot of possession (47%) or the most by any opponent over their past five matches, it was still an encouraging performance and much-needed confidence booster in the build-up to Real Madrid’s visit.

The leaders of LaLiga travel to Merseyside full of confidence after Xabi Alonso‘s in-form squad saw off Valencia at the Bernabéu over the weekend and in the aftermath of that Clásico win over Barcelona. Also, the 15-time European champions are one of only five clubs with a flawless record in the Champions League so far and have lost only once this season across all competitions, recording 13 wins in the process.

However, the Spanish coach did not enjoy his Anfield homecoming last season, as the popular Xabi was on the losing side with Bayer Leverkusen, and additionally, Real Madrid were also defeated without scoring in last year’s league phase, which speaks volumes about Anfield evolving into a different beast on big European nights.

Key players

Ryan Gravenberch started and starred in the victory against Villa after the tenacious midfielder recovered from injury. The Dutch international was instrumental in the middle of the pitch, both in protecting the defence and in the build-up play, with the 23-year-old capping off his Player of the Match performance with a goal, earning him a FotMob rating of 8.5. Also, it is not a coincidence that the Reds’ three clean sheets this season have all come with Gravenberch in their starting XI.

Another unsung hero is shining brightly in Madrid, as Alvaro Carreras scored his debut goal over the weekend with a scorcher from the edge of the box, and the Spaniard’s stock is rising with each passing week. The tireless full-back has played more minutes than any other outfield player for Madrid during this campaign, starting all but one match and quickly establishing himself as one of the first names on the team sheet. With the former Manchester United left-back being in impressive form and averaging a FotMob rating of 7.52 in LaLiga, a debut call-up to the national team is a matter of when and not if, but first, the 22-year-old awaits his most difficult test to date: Man marking Mohamed Salah.

Team news

Arne Slot welcomed Curtis Jones back to first-team training, but Alexander Isak missed out and the most expensive signing in Liverpool’s history remains on the sidelines, with Alisson Becker and Jeremie Frimpong also out.

Arda Güler came off at half-time against Valencia as a precaution, but made the trip to England, unlike Franco Mastantuono who is not part of the travelling squad. The captain, Daniel Carvajal is set to be out for a number of weeks, which opens the door for Trent Alexander-Arnold to get some minutes on his Anfield homecoming, while Antonio Rüdiger and David Alaba are on the sidelines.

Prediction

Undoubtedly, the momentum is on Real Madrid’s side and with Xabi Alonso being a quick learner who boasts the free-firing Kylian Mbappé in the squad, I expect the visitors to come out victorious on Merseyside.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Champions League with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, player ratings. Download the free app here.