His side's poor performances throughout this season haven't made it any easier for him but nevertheless he remains Jurgen Klopp’s star man. ![]() Although it is still clear he can be dangerous in front of goal when given the opportunity. This was on display for all to see last weekend in the Merseyside derby as he opened the scoring. He has netted eight times this season in 22 Premier League appearances, as well as grabbing five assists along the way.Ī decent start for the majority of wingers, not for the experienced 30 year old. The Egyptian has been criticised this season due to his abnormally high standards in previous campaigns. With the likely absence of Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah will be forced to perform on the big stage, which he has consistently done since moving to Merseyside. David Alaba, Eduardo Camavinga and Vinicius Jr (Photo: Cesar Ortiz/Pressinphoto/Icon Sport via GETTY Images)Īlisson Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson Bajcetic, Fabinho, Henderson Salah, Gakpo, JotaĬourtois Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Alaba Ceballos, Camavinga, Modric Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius Jr However, to Madrid's advantage last season's superstar - Thibaut Courtois, who made nine saves in last year's final, has recovered from a hamstring issue and will start on his return to English turf. Key midfield duo Aurelien Tchouameni and Toni Kroos have both been suffering from illness, and have been left out of the squad, so Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Ceballos ought to join Luka Modric in the triumvirate. Similarly, the Spaniards may be sweating over the fitness of their star striker Karim Benzema after he was left out of the clash with Osasuna due to muscular fatigue, but Carlo Ancelotti is expecting the Ballon d'Or winner to have fully recovered for Tuesday night's clash after enjoying a much-needed rest. These absences mean that Jurgen Klopp's men are far from full strength, however he will be adamant his bench can fill in where needed and get the job done. Luis Diaz, Ibrahima Konate, Thiago Alcantara and Calvin Ramsey make up the rest of Liverpool's confirmed absentees, while Arthur not in the squad for the competition.Įffervescent teenager Stefan Bajcetic can look forward to a deserved start against the European champions. If he is absent, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino will engage in a fierce battle to complete the front three, and the former may win that head-to-head if Klopp opts to deploy Cody Gakpo centrally again. Darwin Nunez in action against Newcastle United (Photo: Stu Forster/GETTY Images) Liverpool's success over Newcastle at the weekend came at quite the cost, as Darwin Nunezwas forced off just before the hour mark with a painful shoulder problem, putting a question mark on his availability for Tuesday’s clash. They will look to end this season with more trophies to their name, with tomorrow night being a crucial game in the journey, especially since Klopp's men have only faced one last 16 exit in the last five years. However, last week they picked up more silverware to add to their impressive trophy cabinet as they defeated Al-Hilal in the Club World Cup final. Los Blancos sit second in La Liga, eight points behind rivals Barcelona. Real Madrid go into this tie as group F winners, although they finished on less points than Liverpool, who finished second behind Napoli. Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate look dejected after the Champions League final loss (Photo: Javier Soriano/AFP via GETTY Images) The hosts have also had recent triumph in this competition as they managed to get their hands on the famous trophy in 2019, cruising past Tottenham Hotspur in the final with a 2-0 victory. The Spaniards left with the trophy on both occasions, securing their 13th and 14th Champions League titles. ![]() The two sides have been very familiar with each other's presence in the competition, recently meeting twice in the final, with Madrid triumphant in 20. However, their hopes were crushed yesterday afternoon as John Henry insisted that the American investment group will not be selling Liverpool. Off the pitch, Reds supporters were delighted to hear about the potential sale of the club this season, with some fans dislike of current owners, Fenway Sports Group, publicly known. However, the Reds, who currently sit in eighth, have suffered a season to forget - losing more games already than in the entirety of last year's campaign. Liverpool will be looking to continue their recent run of form, which has seen them defeat both Everton and Newcastle 2-0 in comfortable fashion, making top four a realistic prospect. Vinicius Jr celebrates his winning goal in the 2022 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool (Photo: Baptiste Fernandez/Icon Sport via GETTY Images)Īnfield will host what promises to be an intense and exciting night under the floodlights between two of Europe's footballing giants.
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