Features

Liverpool vs Real Madrid preview, H2H, team news, line-ups and prediction

Liverpool will aim for their first-ever win against Madrid since 2009 when they welcomed the defending champions to Anfield on Wednesday 27 November.

by
Max Akpan
November 16, 2024

Liverpool will aim for their first-ever win against Madrid since 2009 when they welcome the defending champions to Anfield on Wednesday 27 November.

Life under Arne Slot is flourishing for Liverpool, who have suffered just one defeat in all competitions, securing 14 wins and a single draw. Following a 2-2 stalemate with Arsenal last month, the Reds have embarked on a streak of three consecutive victories across all competitions.

Despite facing tougher Premier League opponents recently, Liverpool managed to collect seven points from fixtures against Arsenal, Chelsea, and Brighton.

Brighton were defeated by the Merseyside club in both the EFL Cup and Premier League before the Reds comfortably defeated German champions Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League 4-0.

After the 2-0 win over Aston Villa in the league, Arne Slot has become just the fifth manager to achieve eight wins in his first 10 Premier League matches. Notably, only one of the previous four failed to secure victory in their 11th game.

Despite being drawn into what many deemed the third-most challenging Champions League group, Liverpool remain the only side with a flawless record halfway through the group stage. This marks just the second time the Reds have won their opening four matches in a single Champions League season, the first being the 2021-22 campaign under Klopp, when they claimed victory in their first seven.

Slot’s impressive start in English football reached 14 victories from his opening 16 matches, the highest win tally for a debut-season Premier League manager in all competitions after 16 games, surpassing José Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti, who each had 13 wins.

The Dutchman now faces a tougher challenge in the Champions League as Liverpool aim to break a seven-game winless streak, which includes three straight losses, against defending champions Real Madrid.

Their last meeting saw the Reds concede five goals at Anfield in a European match for the first time despite taking a 2-0 lead within 14 minutes. Ancelotti’s side turned the game around to win 5-2, becoming the first team in Champions League history to overturn a two-goal deficit and win by three goals.

This season, Los Blancos has been far from convincing in the competition they’ve dominated since inception.

While Madrid may still be favourites, the new Champions League format makes it slightly unrealistic to point at any favourites as potential upsets are expected.

Ancelotti’s side has had its share of upsets, with Ligue 1 side Lille pulling off one of the biggest shocks of the competition so far by defeating the defending champions 1-0 at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in October.

However, the La Liga champions demonstrated why they are a powerhouse in the competition with a comeback win over last season’s finalists, Borussia Dortmund.

The 5-2 comeback victory, after trailing by two goals, mirrored Liverpool’s previous encounter with Madrid, which ended in a similar fashion.

After the victory, one would expect the 36-time Spanish champions to build on the momentum, but a disappointing 4-0 loss to arch-rivals Barcelona in the El Classico soon followed.

As has been the case this season, their inconsistency extended to the Champions League, where AC Milan defeated the Spanish giants 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu for the first time in their history.

Madrid will now look to build on the 4-0 win over Osasuna in Laliga before the international break, with a clash against Leganes coming up on Sunday and a trip to Merseyside to face Liverpool to follow soon after.

Liverpool vs Real Madrid match details

Date: Wednesday, 27 November, 2024
Location: Liverpool, England
Venue: Anfield Stadium
Kick-off time: 08:00 PM GMT
Tickets: Fans can buy Liverpool vs Real Madrid tickets through the clubs or via a trusted resellers such as Seatsnet.com.

Match stats and head-to-head

•These two sides have clashed 11 times, with Madrid leading with seven wins against Liverpool’s meagre three victories, while one game has ended in a draw.

•27 goals have been scored in this contest, with Madrid once again showing superiority with 17 goals, while Liverpool have only managed ten goals in this fixture.

•Liverpool have lost their last three consecutive clash against Madrid in the UEFA Champions League with an aggregate score of 7-2.

•Los Blancos have won six of their last seven games against the Reds.

•The Reds last managed to secure at least a point in this fixture during the 2020-21 quarter-finals, playing out a 0-0 draw that saw them exit the competition following a 3-1 defeat in the first leg.

•Liverpool’s last victory in this fixture dates back to the 2008-09 Round of 16 clash at Anfield, where a commanding 4-0 triumph sealed a three-game winning streak against the Spanish side, with an aggregate score of 6-0.

•With ten goals and ten assists, Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has become the first player in Europe’s top five leagues this season to reach double figures in both goals and assists across all competitions.

Team news

For Liverpool, Federico Chiesa has been struggling with fitness since arriving at Merseyside in the summer. He is currently out injured, and no timeline has been placed on his return at the time of writing. He will potentially miss the clash against Madrid as the club continues to build his fitness.

Arne Slot previously stated that he did not anticipate Harvey Elliott’s return before the international break, and the same might apply afterwards, as there is no sign at the time of writing that the midfielder will recover in time for the Madrid game.

Meanwhile, Diogo Jota, sidelined since the 2-1 victory over Chelsea, is progressing in his recovery. Whether he will be available for the Madrid clash remains uncertain.

Goalkeeper Alisson Becker remains Liverpool’s longest absentee, but his recent social media posts suggest a return may be near after he shared a photo of himself working out in the gym.

In his absence, Republic of Ireland goalkeeper, Caoimhin Kelleher is expected to continue manning the sticks.

On the other hand, Madrid are grappling with a severe injury crisis, leaving nine players sidelined due to fitness issues.

Madrid’s injury woes have deepened, with Rodrygo Goes and Lucas Vazquez picking up knocks during the clash with Osasuna.

At the time of writing, French midfielder, Aurelien Tchouameni is also sidelined and is expected to miss a month following the ankle injury he sustained against Milan.

Madrid’s victory over Osasuna before the international break came at a heavy price, with Eder Militao suffering a severe anterior cruciate ligament tear that rules him out for the remainder of the season.

Carlo Ancelotti handed academy defender, Raúl Asencio a debut after Militao’s injury and the Spanish defender could be in hand to start his first game amid a defensive injury crisis.

On a positive note, Federico Valverde came off against Milan with a back problem. The Uruguayan shook off any injury concerns to feature the entire duration of Madrid’s win over Osasuna.

In another positive update for Los Blancos, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who has been sidelined with an abductor injury sustained during the game against Dortmund, has resumed training.

According to reports from Spain, the 32-year-old is expected to feature after the international and could be in line for a starting berth against Liverpool.