The headlining act of Matchday 5 of the UEFA Champions League takes place on Wednesday in England, where top-ranked Liverpool will take on reigning champions Real Madrid in a match that serves as a measuring stick for their current standing.
Liverpool’s nearly perfect start under new manager Arne Slot means they enter Matchday 5 atop the league phase table, the only side with 12 out of 12 points. It’s in stark contrast to Real Madrid, who entered the season with big expectations after winning their 15th Champions League title and signing Kylian Mbappe, but are on the outside looking in at the top eight spots. They have two wins and two losses so far in league phase action, putting them in 18th to start the week but within touching distance of the top eight.
Here’s what you need to know before tuning in.
Liverpool: Things are so far, so good for Liverpool under new management. Slot has turned them into a defense-first team, conceding just one goal in Champions League play so far and only eight in the Premier League this season. That strategy received a surprising challenge over the weekend when the Reds won 3-2 at last-place Southampton on Sunday, though their scoring ability still remains a strong point. Even though the number of shots they take has dramatically decreased from last season, their high-impact attack was able to bail them out much as they have for the last several years. That includes Mohamed Salah, who scored a brace in that win and now has 12 goals and 10 assists in all competitions this season.
Salah’s future, though, has become a major area of focus going into Wednesday’s game against Real Madrid. While the 32-year-old is still contributing at impressive rates, his productivity is beginning to slow with age and he suggested that his time at Anfield might be up when his contract expires in the summer. Slot did his best to calm things down ahead of Wednesday’s match, insisting Salah’s comments were not a distraction and admitting, “If I look at my line ups then Mo is more in than out!”
The Egypt international will likely play a big role in the match, while Trent Alexander-Arnold is not fit enough to start but could come off the bench. Other notable players like Alisson and Diogo Jota, though, will be unavailable as they battle injuries.
Real Madrid: The feeling of inevitable victory that defined their triumphs last season has evaded them on a handful of occasions so far this campaign, even as they amass an all-star attack that now includes Mbappe. The imbalance that they clearly defied last season is now costing them, as demonstrated by the fact that they have losses to Lille and AC Milan on their Champions League record so far this season.
That imbalance has been exemplified by Mbappe’s inability to fully integrate himself into his new team, notably so in Madrid’s 3-1 loss to Milan on Matchday 4. A batch of injuries over the course of the season has also complicated matters for the reigning European champions, most recently seeing Vinicius Junior end up on the sidelines. He picked up a short-term hamstring injury that will keep him out of Wednesday’s trip to Liverpool, though it could make things easier for Mbappe to finally deliver a statement performance in a Madrid shirt.
Liverpool: Kelleher, Bradley, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson, Jones, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Salah, Diaz, Gakpo
Real Madrid: Courtois, Vazquez, Asencio, Rudiger, Mendy, Valverde, Camavinga, Ceballos, Bellingham, Guler, Mbappe
Liverpool’s new tactical approach serves them well for a handful of reasons, not least of which is that their defense-first strategy might be enough to stifle a somewhat wasteful Real Madrid attack. Expect the hosts to get the better of the imperfect European champions and add another statement win to Slot’s growing collection of them. Pick: Liverpool 2, Real Madrid 1
