Xabi Alonso Travels Back in Time for Another Wild Night at Anfield

Xabi Alonso joined Liverpool in 2004 at the age of 22, having been introduced to La Liga by John Benjamin Toshack three years earlier and already capped twelve times for Spain. The Merseyside club paid 16 million for his services, outbidding a strong offer from Real Madrid for the midfielder. He entered a locker room that initially met him with suspicion, but he had an ally in Rafa Benítez. The Madrid-born coach made him his on-field extension in what soon became known as the 'Spanish Liverpool'. With that team, he played 210 matches over five seasons, winning an FA Cup, a Community Shield, a UEFA Super Cup, and most notably, a Champions League title that the 'reds' snatched from Milan in Istanbul. Two decades after that feat, Xabi Alonso returns to what was once his home to experience another wild night at Anfield, leading an unleashed Real Madrid.

Leading the league with 30 points out of a possible 33, the Chamartín side is also making a strong run in the Champions League, having won all three of their previous appearances in this edition. Two narrow home victories against Olympique de Marseille and Juventus, along with a comfortable away win against Kairat Almaty, mark the impeccable journey of the whites in their favourite competition, which sees them face a familiar opponent again this Tuesday.

This will be the thirteenth time Liverpool and Real Madrid cross paths in the former European Cup, where they have contested three finals, resulting in one of the six 'big ears' adorning Anfield's trophy room and two of the fifteen shining in the Bernabéu. From Paris to Paris, with Kiev and Bale's unforgettable bicycle kick in between, one of the most prestigious rivalries in European football has been woven, adding another chapter in the city of the Beatles a year after the 'reds' ended a dire series of eight matches without a win against Real Madrid by defeating the whites 2-0 with goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo.

Much has changed since then for both sides, who are preparing for another fierce battle with very different dynamics. The victory against Aston Villa restored Liverpool, who had suffered five defeats in their last six matches, a streak that put Arne Slot under pressure and was only interrupted by a thrashing of Eintracht Frankfurt (5-1) in the third round of a Champions League campaign that the 'reds' began by overcoming Atlético at Anfield (3-2) and where they later stumbled at Galatasaray's ground (1-0).

The astronomical investment Liverpool made in the summer, spending 482.90 million euros on signings like Alexander Isak (145), Florian Wirtz (125), Hugo Ekitiké (95), Milos Kerkez (46.9), Jeremie Frimpong (40), and Giovanni Leoni (31), is not yet yielding the desired results for a squad that regained form on Saturday with a lineup featuring only one of those six reinforcements, Ekitiké. Isak missed the Aston Villa clash due to adductor discomfort, Frimpong was absent with a hamstring injury that will also keep him out against Real Madrid, Leoni tore his cruciate ligament at the end of September, and Slot left Kerkez and Wirtz on the bench.

Particularly notable was the benching of the German, who is struggling to find his place in a team that looked more fluid with its regulars and greatly appreciated Gravenberch's return to the midfield. The question to resolve is whether Slot will dare to bench him again on a big night under the watchful eye of the coach under whose guidance Wirtz made history with Leverkusen.

This Liverpool, full of doubts but still very much alive in both the Premier League and the Champions League, seems the antithesis of a Real Madrid that arrives at the meeting in top form. The whites are having a historic start to the season, marred only by Vinicius's disagreements with Xabi Alonso and injuries. On Monday, Mastantuono was ruled out due to a groin injury, leaving Real Madrid with four absentees at Anfield, as Alaba, Rüdiger, and Carvajal are also unavailable.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is part of the squad, another prodigal son returning home but likely to start on the bench. Valverde will cover that flank in defence, allowing Xabi Alonso to field the same eleven that thrashed Barça in the clásico, with Camavinga as the fourth horseman of a midfield led by Bellingham, Mbappé ready to unleash more arrows, and Vinicius determined to be, once again, the nemesis of a Liverpool he has scored five goals against in five matches, thanks to two braces and the goal that secured the Thirteenth, with Superman Courtois in goal.

Liverpool: Mamardashvili, Bradley, Konaté, Van Dijk, Robertson, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo, and Ekitiké.

Real Madrid: Courtois, Valverde, Militao, Huijsen, Carreras, Camavinga, Tchouaméni, Arda Güler, Bellingham, Mbappé, and Vinicius.

Referee: István Kovács (Romania).

Time: 21:00 h.

Stadium: Anfield.

TV: Movistar Liga de Campeones.