Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold will require a disciplined performance during Tuesday evening’s Champions League clash versus Real Madrid.
Jurgen Klopp’s side host Los Blancos in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie, aiming to avenge last season’s crushing defeat to the competition record holders in the French capital. No strangers to inflicting damaging blows at the Reds’ expense, the Spanish giants also defeated Liverpool in the 2018 Champions League final and at the quarter-final stage two years ago.
Both sides have not been at their best heading into the latest instalment of this heavyweight fixture, with Real currently eight points adrift of La Liga leaders Barcelona while Liverpool’s issues have been well-documented.
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Hopes of a top-four finish were restored on Saturday evening after the Reds’ vital Premier League win at Newcastle United, which has ensured Liverpool’s only route into Europe’s elite competition for next season may not have to be secured by going all the way in this year’s Champions League.
Liverpool will be looking to get the better of Madrid on Tuesday evening regardless, but must ensure Alexander-Arnold avoids a yellow card during proceedings. The 24-year-old is just one booking away from an automatic one-match suspension in the Champions League, ruling him out of next month’s trip to the Bernabeu should he be cautioned.
This is due to UEFA's rule which sees players who receives three bookings in a Champions League campaign made to sit one match out as punishment. All yellow cards expire on completion of the quarter-finals and are not carried forward to last-four ties.
Going head-to-head with Vinicius Jr is a task no full-back would wish to face, particularly when needing to escape punishment from a referee, and Alexander-Arnold will require no reminding of the talent possessed by the Brazilian star. The pair went head-to-head during the Champions League final at the end of May, which resulted in Vinicius scoring the game’s only goal after losing Alexander-Arnold at the back post to connect with Federico Valverde’s dangerous cross into the box.
Were Alexander-Arnold to miss out on the second leg in Spain, this would present Klopp with a selection headache in an attempt to fill the void the West Derby-born defender would leave. One option would see Joe Gomez moved to full-back with Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk operating at centre-back, meanwhile James Milner could also occupy the right-back role. Neither scenario would prove ideal given the attacking threat of Vinicius, who has scored 16 goals and registered eight assists in all competitions this season.
As far as Real Madrid are concerned, they do not have any players currently at risk of missing the second leg against Liverpool. Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy, Lucas Vasquez and Toni Kroos each have one card to their name, as do Cody Gakpo (booking carried over from PSV vs Bodo/Glimt), Darwin Nunez, Ibrahima Konate, James Milner, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk.
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