Real Madrid and Liverpool will square off on Wednesday night in the Champions League in the latest iteration of the two clubs going at it on a European night. Beyond the famous finals in 2018 and 2022 – Real won both – they also went at it in the Champions League quarterfinals in 2020/21 and in the 2022/23 group stages.
But this time, Liverpool look like the favorites. Whereas Real Madrid are six points behind Barcelona in La Liga coming into this weekend, the Reds are in a commanding first in the Premier League under new coach Arne Slot.
Like Real Madrid, though, Liverpool are dealing with injuries of their own, and one of their most prominent going into Wednesday night’s fixture is to right back Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The 26-year-old is enjoying another productive season here in 2024/25 and is a dream transfer target for Real Madrid, if not their main target for 2025. Florentino Perez is obsessed with the generational playmaker at right back, especially as their own great right back, Dani Carvajal, is now dealing with a torn ACL.
Slot told reporters that Alexander-Arnold is in doubt for the match against Real Madrid, as he has been unable to practice for Liverpool lately and is already ruled out for Sunday’s match against relegation candidates Southampton.
Alexander-Arnold is in “wait and see” mode with his injury after suffering a hamstring ailment against Aston Villa prior to the November international fixtures. Soft-tissue injuries are nothing to mess with, though, even as TAA would be a vital starter against the Merengues.
If Alexander-Arnold is out, Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior stands to benefit the most from the absence, and it’s not just because he won’t have to deal with one of the more underappreciated one-on-one defenders at the right back position.
Vinicius Jr. has cooked Alexander-Arnold off the ball on counters or with long passes over the top from Toni Kroos in the past, and even though he can’t benefit from Kroos anymore, you still would have favored the Ballon d’Or candidate to win that battle.
But the biggest benefit for Vinicius Jr. is the fact that the guy behind him, either Fran Garcia or Ferland Mendy, won’t have to deal with TAA’s elite attacking output down that Liverpool right flank.
In Garcia’s case, the benefit is the most pronounced, because he’s weaker than Mendy defensively but much stronger attacking wise, allowing him to bomb up the pitch aggressively with fewer defensive duties.
Liverpool are expected to start Conor Bradley at right back, and he is an entirely unproven commodity, which is exactly the kind of player Vinicius Jr. loves to go up against.
There is nobody in world football like Vinicius Jr., so facing him for the first time is an intimidating prospect. If you’ve never done it before, the task is just about impossible, so the Brazilian superstar could have a field day as Real’s main hope in this difficult 2024/25 campaign.
