Liverpool are unbeaten in their last fourteen games and have never recorded less than one win in the UEFA Champions League. Liverpool are at the top of the table with twelve out of twelve points. Wins against AC Milan, Bayer Leverkusen, Bologna and RB Leipzig have helped the Reds to their only unbeaten record in European competition.

However, their task will not get any easier as current holders Real Madrid arrive at Anfield looking to knock the Merseyside club off their perch. Madrid go into this game with terrible injury luck and poor performances, with rumors of a Carlo Ancelotti job at stake. It currently sits in second place in La Liga, four points behind arch-rivals Barcelona, ​​and sits a stunning eighteenth in the Champions League table with just six points out of twelve available.

This game should not be taken lightly because against Southampton it became clear that mistakes can be punished. And this Real Madrid team will punish every mistake, no matter how small.

Liverpool

Arne Slot spoke during the pre-match press conference and confirmed the following absences:

Alisson Becker (thigh), Diogo Jota (ribs), Federico Chiesa (physical complaints), Kostas Tsimikas (ankle)

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harvey Elliott return to the team but will not be in the starting lineup

real Madrid

Daniel Carvajal (cruciate ligament injury), David Alaba (cruciate ligament injury), Eder Militao (cruciate ligament injury), Aurelien Tchouameni (sprained ankle), Rodrygo (muscle injury), Vinicius Jr. (hamstring injury)

Liverpool – (4-2-3-1)

TK – Caoimhin Kelleher: As Alisson edges ever closer to being back in the starting XI, Kelleher is once again at the helm and boasts impressive numbers, which were only boosted at the weekend by a brilliant penalty that left him unlucky to make a massive save short before the half-time whistle to maintain the level of play. The Irishman will have to be at his best in this duel, Real Madrid have more than enough power to punish any mistakes.

RB – Conor Bradley: With Trent Alexander-Arnold ruled out for at least this game before returning to fitness against Manchester City this weekend, the young Northern Irishman will face one of the biggest tasks of the game. Helps keep Real Madrid’s star striker Kylian Mbappe in check. This will be a real test of the young defender’s abilities and could be the key battle of the game.

CB – Ibrahima Konate: Conor Bradley will be tasked with both defending Kylian Mbappe and providing width in attack, meaning Ibou will have most of the defensive duties on that right side. Both Bellingham and Mbappe will favor this side and look to attack his channel, but with the form Konate is in, I would put the house on the Liverpool Frenchman. Before this game, Konate had never lost a duel against Madrid’s star winger Vinicius Jr., but with the Brazilian out due to injury, we unfortunately won’t get to see that epic battle.

CB – Virgil van Dijk: The rock at the back, the stone wall of Liverpool’s defence, is one of the biggest factors in our success tomorrow night. To achieve the attacking prowess that Real Madrid can produce, he needs to keep his defense ridiculously disciplined and ensure everyone is playing their best. His interaction with Kelleher and Gravenberch will be crucial in unlocking the Spanish team’s press and defensive lines.

LB – Andrew Robertson: After Kostas’ injury, Robbo is the man to fill this role. In this game we need the old Robertson to return. The bright lights of a late-night Champions League game at Anfield were where the Scottish full-back came to life once before. Given some very shaky performances in recent weeks and a few mental errors against Southampton, one of which almost resulted in a goal, Andy needs to be wide awake on this matter.

CDM – Ryan Gravenberch: That’s it. This is the biggest test of the season for the young Dutchman. Forget United, forget Arsenal, that’s it. In this game, Ryan Gravenberch can show that he has really arrived. With Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde – albeit as a right-back – and of course the always associated Kylian Mbappe, he faces a midfield with previous Liverpool transfer targets. This is the game in which the 22-year-old midfielder can establish himself in defensive midfield as the answer to Liverpool’s problems. And I for one can’t wait to watch it happen.

CDM – Alexis Mac Allister: After a long journey home from international duty and a miss at the weekend, I can imagine Mac Allister will be an important part of Liverpool’s midfield tomorrow night. I believe that with him and Ryan, this midfield can overrun the Madrid midfield and play through them with ease. It will be a pleasure to see it.

CAM – Dominik Szoboszlai: Dom finally got back on the scoresheet for Liverpool with his first goal of the season since scoring against AC Milan in the Champions League earlier this year. The hope is that he has finally found his shooting boots, but the final minutes of the game against Southampton suggest otherwise. With the attacking Darwin Nunez looking for a weighted pass to send through, Dom decided to dribble laterally towards the opposition penalty area and play it wide to Luis Diaz, which resulted in Mo Salah hitting the post and nothing came of it. As an attacking midfielder, not making that pass is shocking. Let’s hope he has learned from this mistake and will make the decisive pass when the opportunity arises.

RW – Mohamed Salah: The man aiming for the Ballon D’or just added two more goals to his tally at the weekend, taking him to 22 goals in seventeen appearances so far this season. Absolutely ridiculous numbers for a man who is out of contract at the end of the season. Based on his comments after the Southampton game, Salah appears to be on a revenge spree and there is no better team to compete against in that regard than the same team that robbed him of two more Champions League winners’ medals and lost one intentionally hurt. Salah will seek revenge tomorrow night.

ST – Darwin Nunez: An unsung hero in the win over Southampton, with the striker doing a lot of dirty work that doesn’t show up in any statistics. The Southampton defenders were pushed back to give the wingers space to attack and create chances, they pressed hard and forced the Southampton defenders to make mistakes which ultimately led to the first goal. And was just a stone’s throw away from the assist with a brilliant pass for Luis Diaz, but the Colombian was just one step ahead of him.

LW – Luis Diaz: After returning from international duty, Diaz came on as a second-half substitute against Southampton and brought fantastic energy to the team, and given that he will be facing an out-of-position Valverde, this could be the best time for the Colombian to strike, at present Liverpool’s top goalscorer in the competition could also get on the scoresheet tomorrow night!

Real Madrid – (4-4-2)

Courtois, Valverde, Asencio, Rüdiger, Mendy, Güler, Camavinga, Modric, Bellingham, Diaz, Mbappe

Ryan Gravenberch

Expect the midfield to be manned by Ryan Gravenberch. It will be the pressure relief valve. The connection between the front and back lines will allow Liverpool to beat Real Madrid’s pressing. He’ll be business as usual on the defensive side of the ball, but watch his dribbling and passing skills come to life tomorrow night. He demonstrated his passing skills over the weekend with a beautifully weighted pass to Mohamed Salah for his first goal of the game.

Kylian Mbappe

With both Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo having to be on the sidelines, the young Frenchman will have to shoulder the offensive load. However, he faces his toughest task tomorrow night as Liverpool boast the best defensive record of any of Europe’s top five leagues. Only twelve goals were conceded across all competitions, and xG also conceded the fewest goals. With a central defender pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate and a goalkeeper in excellent form in Kelleher. Madrid will have a tough fight against the Liverpool team.

When? – Wednesday November 27th, 8pm BST

Where? -Anfield

Game official? – François Letexier

Where can you watch? – RTE Player / Discovery+ / RTE 2 / Premier Sports ROI 1

The current head-to-head record of the teams is: Liverpool 0 wins, Real Madrid 7 wins and 1 draw. Liverpool have odds of 1.83 for a win, 3.90 for a draw and 3.90 for Real Madrid to win. According to bookmakers, Liverpool are favorites to win.